National / Politics
Japan, Canada agree to come down hard on North Korea at U.N.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his Canadian counterpart Justin Trudeau agreed Tuesday to coordinate their response to North Korea's provocative acts, including last week's nuclear test, through the framework of the United Nations, a Japanese spokesman said.
During a roughly 20-minute telephone meeting, Abe and Trudeau shared their resolute condemnation of North Korea's behavior, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Koichi Hagiuda said.
Pyongyang claimed it detonated a nuclear weapon last Friday, its fifth test and the latest since January. The country has also been pursuing ballistic missile development, most recently launching three missiles Sept. 1 believed to have fallen into Japan's exclusive economic zone in the Sea of Japan.
Hagiuda quoted Abe as telling Trudeau that North Korea's unprecedented threat level calls for an unprecedented response, and that the international community must take specific action to send a strong message to Pyongyang that further provocative acts will not be tolerated.
Trudeau said he completely agrees, and that North Korea must take specific measures toward denuclearization and again enter into meaningful negotiations for a peaceful, political resolution, according to Hagiuda.
He refused to specify whether either leader discussed unilaterally imposing new sanctions but said Abe and Trudeau agreed to cooperate at the U.N. to put further pressure on North Korea.
Both leaders are set to attend the annual U.N. General Assembly in New York starting Sept. 20.
Shinzo Abe, North Korea, Canada, nuclear weapons