| [Kyodo: Korea] North Korean media as of Wednesday afternoon had not reported Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama's announcement that he will step down, but the North is believed to be closely watching how the ruling coalition led by the Democratic Party of Japan will run domestic and foreign policies after Hatoyama's departure. North Korea was considering seeking to resume dialogue with Japan after the political situation stabilized following a House of Councillors election in July but an increasingly murky political situation in Japan may force Pyongyang to reconsider its policy. |