Japan's Foreign Ministry Urges ASEAN to Increase Pressure on N Korea

Japan urges the ASEAN to the increase of pressure on North Korea amid its nuclear and weapons program, the deputy press secretary of the Japanese Foreign Ministry said Sunday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Japan urges the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to shift from dialogue to the increase of pressure on North Korea to force Pyongyang to abandon its nuclear and weapons program, the deputy press secretary of the Japanese Foreign Ministry said Sunday.

On Saturday, the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) unanimously adopted the resolution tightening the economic sanctions against North Korea in response to July's launches of ballistic missiles by Pyongyang.

"Now is not the time for dialogue, but a time to increase pressure on North Korea so they will take concrete actions towards denuclearization," Toshihide Ando said as quoted by the Philippine ABS CNB news outlet.

The outlet citing Ando also reported that some ASEAN foreign ministers had agreed with Japan's call to tighten the sanctions against North Korea. The diplomat has not specified what countries had supported Tokyo's position, the outlet added.

Ando made his remarks during the press conference after the ASEAN-Japan ministerial meeting which had taken place in the Philippine capital of Manila earlier on Sunday as part of the wider agenda of the ASEAN events.

The new UNSC’s sanctions include the full ban on the export of coal, iron and iron ore from the North Korea. The restrictions are also imposed on the increase of the number of work authorizations for the North Korean nations by the UN member states. The new resolution also bans investment activities in relation to North Korea, such as joint ventures, and designates several additional individuals for a travel ban and assets freeze, as well as imposes an assets freeze on some entities.

The UNSC has repeatedly adopted resolutions condemning North Korea’s nuclear and missile tests and urging Pyongyang to denuclearize. Despite that, Pyongyang has continued developing its nuclear and weapons program.