UN Must Pressurize North Korea to Tow in Line: Japan

Japan is strongly pushing the need for concerted international action to implement United Nations Security Council sanctions against North Korea.

At a news conference, Ambassador Koro Bessho said the North has been conducting maritime ship-to-ship transfers or refined oil products, and this is in violation of restrictions imposed under UN sanctions.

Bessho said countries monitoring the North Korea have reported their findings to the Security Council. He also expressed concerns over Pyongyang's repeated attempts to evade the sanctions. "The UN members must continue to apply pressure on Pyongyang to implement them."

The Ambassador said Japan remains unchanged in its stance that nuclear disarmament be a priority. He pointed out the proportion of highly advanced technologies has been growing in security policies.