Japan expects China and Russia to realize the need to tighten sanctions against North Korea following the recent missile launch, Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said at a press conference in Tokyo on Friday.
“We hope that China and Russia fully understand the importance of new sanctions [against North Korea],” he said.
According to Suga, there is a need to consider “the most effective measures, taking into account North Korea’s external economic activities.”
On August 29, North Korea test-fired a Hwasong-12 ballistic missile which flew over northwestern Japan, presumably plunging into the Pacific Ocean about 1,180 km east of the Hokkaido Island’s Cape Erimo. According to the South Korean military, the missile flew about 2,700 kilometers reaching an altitude of 550 kilometers.
On Wednesday, Japan’s NHK TV channel reported that after the United Nations Security Council adopted a statement condemning the August 29 missile test, Tokyo and Washington would start working on a draft resolution to tighten sanctions against Pyongyang, which would particularly stipulate a ban on oil exports to North Korea.