Japan protests North Korea nuclear test, eyes stricter sanctions

September 4, 2017

TOKYO- The Japanese government condemned North Korea on Sunday for conducting a nuclear test the same day in defiance of international pressure and protested against the reclusive state through embassy channels in Beijing.

Speaking to reporters, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said the test is "absolutely intolerable."

Abe signaled Japan's intention of aiming for a new UN Security Council resolution imposing stricter sanctions against North Korea. "We will work with the international community to take resolute actions. The United Nations must express its strong will to protect world peace," he said.

On Sunday night, Abe held separate telephone talks with US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin to exchange views on the possible fresh Security Council resolution.

Abe and Trump confirmed that the international community must show its strong determination to and exert powerful pressure on North Korea. Trump said that the latest outrageous act cannot be overlooked. Abe responded by saying that the nuclear test was a reckless act that can never be accepted.

Abe and Putin shared the view that the nuclear test posed a serious threat, agreeing that their countries will work closely together. A new powerful Security Council resolution against North Korea is indispensable, Abe stressed, calling for Russia's cooperation at the powerful UN organ.

The Abe-Trump conversation came after the two held another round of talks over the telephone, on Sunday morning, before the nuclear test, in which they agreed to hold a meeting in New York in late September when they attend the UN General Assembly session. It is rare for the Japanese and US leaders to have phone talks twice a day.

Following the test, North Korea's sixth nuclear detonation, Abe told relevant government ministries and agencies to prepare for any contingencies. He issued a statement saying that Japan's national security faces a new stage of threat that is more serious and impending.

At a news conference, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said the nuclear test, which triggered an earthquake with a magnitude estimated at 6.1 by the Japan Meteorological Agency, was far larger than the past tests by North Korea.

The possibility cannot be ruled out that North Korea detonated a hydrogen bomb in the test as it claimed, Suga said.

North Korea's state-run Korean Central Television said Sunday the country has successfully tested a hydrogen bomb that can be loaded into an intercontinental ballistic missile. Jiji Press