Japan has announced Wednesday that it will impose new sanctions on North Korea to protest a rocket launch seen as a test of missile technology.
The sanctions will include expanded restrictions on travel between the
two countries and a complete ban on visits by North Korean ships to
Japanese ports, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said at a news
conference.
"Despite our repeated requests to stop nuclear tests and missile
development, (North Korea) pushed ahead with the launch. It has a direct
impact on Japan and we need to show our strong determination," Suga
said. He said, however, that Japan will keep a door open for dialogue to
resolve the still-outstanding issue of Japanese citizens who were
abducted by North Korea decades ago.
Suga said the sanctions would be approved by the Cabinet later, and would also require legislative changes in parliament.
Japan in 2014 eased some earlier sanctions on North Korea in exchange
for its pledge to reinvestigate the fate of the Japanese abductees.
Wednesday's measures go slightly beyond the restoration of the
previously eased measures.
The ban on port entry extends to any foreign ships coming to Japan after
visiting North Korea. The travel ban will also be broadened to include
any foreigners with nuclear and missile expertise who visit North Korea.
All money transfers, except for those below 100,000 yen ($880) for
humanitarian purposes, will be banned.
North Korea launched a long-range rocket Sunday carrying what it said
was an Earth observation satellite into space. The launch, which came
about a month after the country's fourth nuclear test, was quickly
condemned by world leaders as a potential threat to regional and global
security.
The U.S. Congress is also considering more stringent sanctions on North Korea.