TOKYO, Japan (Reuters) — The Japanese Parliament on Tuesday (February 9) adopted a resolution condemning North Korea’s rocket launch and vowed to impose stronger sanction against Pyongyang.
“North Korea pushed ahead with the launch of a ballistic missile. It’s a conduct that can be never accepted and is a clear violation of the U.N. Security Council resolutions,” Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said in parliament on Tuesday.
North Korea’s launch of a long-range rocket carrying what it called a satellite on Sunday (February 7) drew renewed international condemnation just weeks after it carried out a nuclear weapon test.
Critics of the rocket program say it is being used to test technology for a long-range missile.
“We’ve decided to move towards imposing unilateral sanctions against North Korea aiming to resolve the comprehensive issues of abductions, nuclear weapons and missiles,” Abe said.
Japan eased some sanctions on North Korea in July 2014 in return for Pyongyang reopening its probe into the fate of Japanese citizens abducted decades ago by North Korean agents to help train spies, although little progress has been seen since.
Pyongyang admitted in 2002 to kidnapping 13 Japanese citizens decades before. Five abductees and their families later returned to Japan but Tokyo wants to know the fate of the remaining eight, who Pyongyang has said are dead, and of others Japan believes were also kidnapped.
Abe also vowed to lead the push for strong sanctions in the U.N. Security Council against North Korea in the hope it will work as a stronger curb on Pyongyang’s nuclear and missile programs.
“We will enhance coordination with the United States, South Korea as well as China and Russia for a stronger U.N. Security Council resolution to be imposed as quickly as possible,” Abe said.
The U.N. Security Council condemned North Korea’s missile launch at an emergency meeting on Sunday (February 7) and vowed to take “significant measures” in response to Pyongyang’s violations of U.N. resolutions.
