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Japan praises China's efforts on N. Korea nuclear issue
2006-10-19
Tokyo - Japan praised on Thursday China's diplomatic efforts in engaging North Korea in hopes of defusing international tensions over the North's nuclear threats and Tokyo's top government spokesman said Japan hopes to continue to work with China to resolve the issue. "Under the (U.N. sanctions) resolution, of course China too is standing as one with the international community," Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuhisa Shiozaki said. "We (Japan) of course commend China which is also taking independent efforts and we hope to cooperate together to resolve the North Korean problem." Shiozaki made the comments in response to reporters' questions in relation to China's announcement that Chinese State Councilor Tang Jiaxuan met with North Korean leader Kim Jong Il in Pyongyang earlier on Thursday. When asked to comment on reports that China, the United States, South Korea, Japan and Russia plan to hold five-way talks in Beijing, Shiozaki declined to confirm anything but hinted at the possibility, saying he has "not especially heard about the contents." He also did not rule out the possibility of Foreign Minister Taro Aso going to Beijing after a three-way meeting Thursday with his Chinese and South Korean counterparts in Seoul, saying, "That also I haven't heard of in detail." As for South Korea, which had taken a more lenient stance on the North compared with Japan and the United States, Shiozaki said he believes Seoul's attitude has "changed significantly" when compared with that prior to North Korea's Oct. 9 announcement of its nuclear test and that South Korea is taking the issue as being much more serious than before. "I believe that through the foreign minister's visit to South Korea and the trilateral meeting together with (U.S. Secretary of State Condoleeza) Rice, South Korea will make its position clear," he added. "The three-way talks will be extremely significant." Aso, Rice and Ban Ki Moon, South Korea's foreign minister and U.N. secretary general-designate, are scheduled to meet in Seoul later Thursday. Kyodo
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