As he made his international debut in Manila on Sunday, newly appointed Foreign Minister Taro Kono agreed with his regional counterparts to put more pressu
MANILA – As he made his international debut in Manila on Sunday, newly appointed Foreign Minister Taro Kono agreed with his regional counterparts to put more pressure on North Korea to abandon its nuclear and missile ambitions.
After arriving in the Philippine capital, Kono, who assumed his post Thursday in a Cabinet reshuffle, met with the foreign ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. He also held talks with Lim Jock Seng, Brunei’s second minister of foreign affairs and trade.
Kono and Lim “shared the view that it is important to strengthen pressure (on North Korea) , ” the Foreign Ministry in Tokyo said.
Kono’s debut on the world stage came after the U. N. Security Council on Saturday imposed fresh sanctions on North Korea that will slash the nation’s $3 billion of annual export revenue by a third in response to Pyongyang’s two long-range missile tests in July.
The sanctions resolution was the seventh the Security Council has imposed on North Korea since 2006, when the country carried out its first nuclear test.
On Monday, Kono is set to hold talks with his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, on the sidelines of the ASEAN-related gatherings, a Japanese government official said.
During their first meeting since Kono assumed his post, the two ministers are expected to exchange views on how to tackle North Korea’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs, two days after the U. N. Security Council piled fresh sanctions on Pyongyang.
Japan is likely to ask China to steadily implement the new sanctions and play a key role in dealing with North Korea.
