Japan has on Tuesday announced that it has decided to extend its sanctions over North Korea for additional two years, in an attempt to pressurize Pyongyang to fully dismantle its missile and nuclear weapons programme and also resolve Japanese nationals abduction.
According to ANI news reports, the Japanese sanctions imposed a ban over bilateral imports and exports, banning the entry of North Korea’-registered ships into Japan’s waters, as well as vessels, stopped at a North Korean port.
Japan had first sanctioned North Korea in 2006 after Pyongyang performed its first nuclear arms test. Japan has in recent times extended the sanctions for several times, in line with the UNSC resolution.
Japan has earlier blamed North Korea for the abduction of 17 Japanese nationals and suspected N Korean involvement in additional disappearances of its citizens.
The Japanese development has come as Shinzo Abe, the prime minister, had expressed willingness to hold discussions with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in order to discuss issues related to Korean peninsula denuclearization and the abduction of Japanese nationals.
Japan’s move has come after the Hanoi summit between United States President Donald Trump and his North Korean counterpart Kim Jong-un last month aimed at complete denuclearization of the Korean peninsula, but turned out to be a failed summit due to both leaders’ disagreements over differences.