Japan, Singapore agree to prevent North Korea from evading sanctions

February 12, 2018

Singapore- Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono and his Singaporean counterpart, Vivian Balakrishnan, agreed on Monday to cooperate to block maritime smuggling and other attempts by North Korea to evade international economic sanctions slapped on the reclusive state over its nuclear and missile programs.

The international society must not be blinded by Pyongyang's smile diplomacy that takes advantage of the ongoing Pyeongchang Winter Olympics in South Korea, Kono told reporters after his meeting with Balakrishnan in Singapore.

At the meeting, Kono sought Singapore's understanding for a free and open Indo-Pacific strategy of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

Kono also called on the Southeast Asian nation to adopt Japan's Shinkansen bullet train system for a planned high-speed railway to link Singapore and the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur.

The Japanese minister held a meeting with Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong later on Monday. Jiji Press