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Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Wednesday asked U.S. President Barack Obama to investigate alleged spying by the National Security Agency on the Japanese government and companies, Mr. Abe's spokesman said.

Documents posted online by WikiLeaks last month suggested that conversations involving government officials, central bankers and Japanese companies had been secretly intercepted by the U.S. agency. In a phone conversation Wednesday morning Tokyo time, Mr. Obama expressed regret that the issue has caused trouble for Mr. Abe and the government, according to Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga.

Prime Minister Abe replied that ties between Japan and the U.S. could be shaken if the leaked documents prove to be true, Mr. Suga said. Mr. Abe asked that Washington investigate the case and convey the results to Japan, Mr. Suga said, according to Nasdaq.com.

Mr. Suga didn't say whether the U.S. confirmed or denied spying. According to a news release from Mr. Abe's office, the president said that at present, the U.S. isn't engaged in activities that would damage trust between the allies.

During the 40-minute talk, which took place at Mr. Obama's request, the two sides also spoke about Chinese President Xi Jinping's scheduled visit to the U.S. next month, in addition to tensions in the Korean peninsula, Mr. Suga said.

Mr. Obama said he welcomed Mr. Abe's statement commemorating the 70th year since the end of World War II, according to Mr. Suga.