Japan, South Korea reaffirm cooperation after Pyongyang's n-test

Tokyo: Japan and South Korea on Saturday agreed to boost cooperation to tackle North Korea`s nuclear weapons programme after it conducted its fifth test.

Japanese Defence Minister Tomomi Inada, in a telephone conversation with his South Korean counterpart, Han Min-koo, denounced Pyongyang over its nuclear test on Friday as a clear violation of UN Security Council resolutions, Japan`s Defence Ministry said.

Inada stressed the importance of bilateral cooperation, including information exchange with South Korea, EFE news reported.

He also spoke about the importance of coordinating with the US to deal with the issue.

Han said senior defence officials from Japan, South Korea and the US on Saturday agreed that North Korea`s provocative actions required the international community as a whole to prepare additional sanctions against Pyongyang.

North Korea on Friday carried out its fifth nuclear test and claimed that it had tested a nuclear warhead that can be fitted onto missiles.

The most powerful test drew international outrage and gave rise to demands for new UN sanctions against the country.

The UN Security Council condemned the test and announced that it will consider new sanctions against Pyongyang in addition to others already imposed in March after its nuclear and long-range missile tests in January and February respectively.