Japan to ban North Korean imports and ships

Japan will impose a total ban on North Korean imports and prohibit its ships from entering Japanese ports over the North’s declared nuclear weapons test, a news report said today.

The sanctions, which will also expand restrictions on North Korean nationals entering Japan, are to be announced following a security meeting later today, public broadcaster NHK reported.

Kyodo News agency carried a similar report, but said the measures need to be formally approved by the Cabinet when it meets later this week before going into effect.

The Cabinet Office confirmed a security meeting was scheduled for later today, but refused to discuss its agenda.

Earlier today, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuhisa Shiozaki urged the North to return immediately and unconditionally to the six-party talks on its nuclear programme, and honour the 2002 Pyongyang Declaration, a bilateral pact in which the North promised to freeze its missile programme.

Tokyo already has limited sanctions in place against North Korea, imposed after the North test-fired seven missiles into waters between Japan and the Korean peninsula in July.