Mike Pence (left) cheers with Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe during a courtesy dinner in Tokyo. Pence is in Tokyo for three days before leading a US delegation to the opening ceremony of the Pyeongchang 2018 Winger Olympic Games on February 9. Pic/AFP

US Vice President Mike Pence said on Wednesday that Washington would soon unveil its "toughest sanctions ever" on North Korea, adding that the regime in Pyongyangwould not be allowed to "hijack" the upcoming Olympics. Speaking in Japan before attending the opening ceremony of the Winter Games in South Korea, Pence pledged that Washington would "intensify its maximum pressure campaign" on the North, working with Tokyo.