Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Tuesday welcomed U.S. President Donald Trump’s move to put North Korea back on a list of state sponsors of terrorism, saying it would ramp up pressure on Pyongyang, Kyodo News reported.

The designation, announced Monday, allows the United States to impose more sanctions on Pyongyang, which is pursuing nuclear weapons and missile programmes in defiance of U.N. Security Council sanctions. The designation came a week after Trump returned from a 12-day, five nation trip to Asia in which the US president made containing North Korea’s nuclear ambitions a centerpiece of his discussions with world leaders.

“I welcome and support (the designation) as it raises the pressure on North Korea,” Abe told reporters, according to Kyodo.