Japan urges North Korea to resume nuclear talks

Japan urged North Korea on Wednesday to return to international talks aimed at ending its nuclear weapons program, despite the North's announcement that it is booting out U.N. inspectors and restarting its atomic facilities.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Takeo Kawamura said Japan wants a resumption of the six-nation negotiations under which North Korea agreed to disable its main nuclear complex in return for oil and diplomatic concessions.

"Based on close cooperation with all countries involved, starting with the U.S., we want to demonstrate progress in the six-party talks," he said.

North Korea reacted angrily Tuesday to U.N. Security Council condemnation of its April 5 rocket launch, saying it would restart its nuclear program. The International Atomic Energy Agency said it was told by North Korea that it would stop cooperating with inspectors and resume reprocessing spent nuclear fuel, which can used to make nuclear weapons.

North Korea says it launched a communications satellite which is broadcasting patriotic songs, but Japan, the U.S. and other nations believe it actually tested long-range missile technology.

Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso used strong language Tuesday in urging North Korea to listen to the Security Council.

"The most important thing is for North Korea to sincerely pay attention to the opinion of the international community as expressed through the council," he said.

A Security Council resolution passed in 2006, days after North Korea carried out an underground nuclear test, prohibits it from engaging in any ballistic missile-related activity. The U.S. and other nations say that includes launching rockets which use the same delivery technology as missiles mounted with warheads.

North Korea agreed in the six-nation nuclear talks in 2007 to disable its main nuclear complex in exchange for the equivalent of 1 million tons of fuel oil and other concessions. In 2008 it blew up the complex's cooling tower in front of reporters to demonstrate its commitment.

But the talks foundered over how to verify North Korea's past nuclear activity, and the latest round of talks in December made little progress.