Japan's prime minister on Tuesday confirmed there would be a summit next week between the leaders of Japan, South Korea and China, expected to focus on North Korea's nuclear programme.

"We would like to explore the right steps for North Korea to take for a bright future," Shinzo Abe told reporters in Amman, Jordan.

The three Asian countries have been holding regular trilateral summits since late 2008.

Abe is expected to be joined in Tokyo by South Korean President Moon Jae-in and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on 9 May, 2018.

Earlier, Abe told Jordan's King Abdullah II that his country hopes to upgrade its ties with the kingdom into a strategic partnership.

"Peace and stability in the Middle East is very important for the world's peace and stability," he said on Tuesday.

Jordan, a key Western ally, has struggled with a sluggish economy, including rising unemployment, in the wake of regional conflicts, including in neighbouring Syria and Iraq.

The fighting has severely disrupted Jordan's trade.

Abe was accompanied by a delegation of business leaders.