Abe's support has plunged below 30 percent in opinion polls, hit by the scandal and a perception among many voters that his administration is taking them for granted.
North Korea says it will continue to test nuclear weapons, stating it will bolster its nuclear force in the face of what it calls US aggression and hysteria.
US defence secretary James Mattis concluded his first foreign trip to South Korea and Japan, where he discussed with his Asian allies North Korea's nuclear programme and China's growing influence in the region.
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