The United States understands how important Japan's history issues are to other allies in the region, the White House spokesman said Monday, suggesting the issue could be raised during summit talks between President Barack Obama and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
  

White House spokesman Josh Earnest made the remark at a regular briefing in response to a question whether U.S. relations with South Korea would suffer if the U.S. does not put enough pressure on Japan over the country's sexual enslavement of women during World War II.
  

"I would not pre-judge at this point the extent to which it will be discussed in the meeting between the president and the prime minister," Earnest said. "Obviously, we're mindful of these issues and we're mindful of what a priority this issue is for some of our other allies in the Asia-Pacific."

Obama and Abe are scheduled to hold summit talks at the White House on Tuesday. 
  

President Barack Obama and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visit the Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall in Washington, Monday, April 27, 2015. (AP-Yonhap)

Abe's visit has also been closely watched as a gauge of how relations between Seoul and Tokyo will go amid widespread views that the relations won't improve unless Abe offers a sincere and clearly apology for Japan's wartime wrongdoings, including the sexual slavery issue.
  

Frayed relations between the two allies have been a key cause for concern for the U.S. as it seeks to bolster three-way security cooperation, seen as a key pillar for Obama's "pivot to Asia" initiative aimed in part at keeping a rising China in check.
  

"The United States and certainly the president believes that we can strengthen the national security of our country by pursuing ever closer ties, both economic and security, with our allies in the region," Earnest said.
  

Earlier, Evan Medeiros, senior director for Asian affairs at the White House's National Security Council, said the U.S. has urged partners and allies to address history issues "in a very constructive, forthright way to be honest, but also to promote healing and look to the future."
  

"We think that the more countries in the region can take that kind of constructive approach and let history be history, but be mindful of it, the better off the region will be in terms of its ability to cooperate," he said during a briefing at the National Press Building. "Improving the relationship between Japan and the ROK and ensuring that they cooperate closely is a strategic imperative for the United States." (Yonhap)