UK PM May says agreed with Japan to speed up N.Korea sanctions

British Prime Minister Theresa May said on Thursday she had agreed with her Japanese counterpart to work together to speed up the rate at which sanctions are imposed on North Korea after a missile test earlier this week.

North Korea fired a ballistic missile over Japan's northern Hokkaido island into the sea early on Tuesday, prompting warnings to residents to take cover and drawing a sharp reaction from Tokyo.

"Prime Minister Abe and I have agreed to work together, and with others in the international community, to strengthen pressure against North Korea, including by increasing the pace of sanctions implementation," May told a joint news conference with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Thursday.