Japan slaps Pyongyang with trade sanctions

SEOUL — Japan halted trade with North Korea yesterday, while the United States and other nations sought additional penalties against the communist state for reportedly conducting a nuclear test.

President Bush demanded tough sanctions against North Korea, but he vowed to find a diplomatic solution to Pyongyang’s defiance and said there were no plans for a military attack.

North Korea threatened unspecified “physical measures” against the United States and its allies, while South Korea said it was reviewing its defenses against a nuclear attack.

Japan’s sanctions were the most substantive steps against the North since Monday’s reported nuclear test at an underground site north of Pyongyang.

It banned all imports from North Korea and prohibited North Korean ships from entering Japanese ports.

“We cannot tolerate North Korea’s actions if we are to protect Japanese lives and property,” Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said after an emergency security meeting. “These measures were taken to protect the peace.”

Meanwhile at the United Nations, the United States is expected to push for a vote on North Korea by the end of the week despite opposition from China to some of the sanctions aimed at punishing Pyongyang for its reported nuclear test.

One controversial provision in the U.S.-drafted resolution was authorization for international inspections of cargo moving into and out of North Korea to detect weapons-related material. China, diplomats said, had rejected it, but that provision is still in the text circulated among the 15 Security Council members.

John R. Bolton, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, who acknowledged there were “a number of disagreements,” said he intends to introduce a new draft resolution formally to the Security Council members today with the aim of calling a vote a day later.

Among the imports from North Korea expected to face closed doors in Japan are mushrooms and seafood valued at about $50 million each year, a modest amount but a significant source of foreign currency for the impoverished nation.

Japan also prohibited North Korea nationals from entering Japan, with limited exceptions.

Reports early yesterday morning that North Korea may have tested a second nuclear device were later dispelled. But they underscored a deep insecurity gripping the region.

In Seoul, outgoing Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon said South Korea would take a “considered and strategic approach” on whether to join the U.S.-led Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI), according to Yonhap news agency.

Mr. Ban is scheduled to become the next U.N. secretary-general when Kofi Annan’s term ends in December.

PSI is a program designed to halt the spread of weapons of mass destruction by sharing intelligence and intercepting suspect cargoes. Some 70 nations have signed up, but South Korea has previously declined for fear of antagonizing the North.

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