Japan urges cooperation with Russia and China over North Korea's nuclear problem

TOKYO, April 11. /TASS/. Japanese government hopes for continued cooperation with China and Russia on the problem of North Korea’s missile and nuclear programs, as the North Korean authorities continue nuclear testing, the Chief Cabinet Secretary, Yoshihide Suga told a news conference on Tuesday.

"Japan’s fundamental position consists of combining dialogue and pressure," he said. "As for the international efforts, the case in hand is coordination at the level of the UN Security Council in order to force North Korea to observe (the Council’s) resolutions."

Suga also recalled the six-partite talks that embraced North Korea, South Korea, Japan, China, the US and Russia.

"Beijing has a very big influence on Pyongyang and that is why we’d like to continue cooperation with it on the problems related to North Korea," he said. "The same goes for Russia, with who we hope to continue dialogue in the future."

The situation on the Korean peninsula deteriorated back at the beginning of this year when Pyongyang carried out a nuclear test and launched a ballistic missile with a satellite somewhat later.

In September 2016, North Korea held one more nuclear test. On the whole, it held about twenty missile tests last year.

The next day after a yet another launch in early March, the command of the U.S. military contingent in the Republic of Korea said it had gotten down to deploying a THAAD antiaircraft missile complex in Korea in spite of objections from both Beijing and Moscow.

The six-partite talks embracing the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, the Republic of Korea, Russia, China, and the U.S. started out in 2003 and were suspended in 2008 at Pyongyang’s initiative, as the North Korean government voiced discontent with a resolution of the UN Security Council, which condemned it for a regular set of missile launches.