Japan and Australia slapped financial sanctions Tuesday on North Korea in the first fresh measures against the communist state since the UN Security Council demanded action over its July missile tests.
The two US allies blacklisted companies and an individual for alleged links to weapons programs in North Korea, which says it has a nuclear bomb and may be preparing to test one. In Japan, the sanctions were announced by Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe, a sworn hawk on North Korea who is all but certain to win a vote Wednesday to replace Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi. "The government wants to use this occasion to call again on North Korea to respect the UN Security Council resolution, to stop missile-related activities, confirm its moratorium on missile launches and to return unconditionally to the six-way talks," Abe told a news conference. |