Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Tuesday welcomed US President Donald Trump’s move to put North Korea back on a list of state sponsors of terrorism, national broadcaster NHK reported.
The decision announced on Monday allows the United States to impose more sanctions on Pyongyang as a result of its nuclear weapon and missile programs in violation of UN Security Council sanctions.
“I welcome and support (the designation) as it raises the pressure on North Korea,” Abe told reporters, according to NHK.
South Korea’s foreign ministry said the decision is expected to contribute to the peaceful denuclearisation of the North.
However, some US officials said the move is largely symbolic as North Korea is already heavily sanctioned by the United States, a reality that Secretary of State Rex Tillerson seemed to acknowledge.
“The practical effects may be limited but hopefully we’re closing off a few loopholes with this,” he told reporters.
Trump, who has traded personal insults with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un but has not ruled out talks, said the Treasury Department will announce additional sanctions against North Korea on Tuesday.
The announcement came a week after Trump returned from a 12-day, five-nation trip to Asia in which he made containing North Korea’s nuclear ambitions a centrepiece of discussions with the region’s leaders, including Abe.
“In addition to threatening the world by nuclear devastation, North Korea has repeatedly supported acts of international terrorism, including assassinations on foreign soil,” Trump told reporters at the White House.
“This designation will impose further sanctions and penalties on North Korea and related persons and supports our maximum pressure campaign to isolate the murderous regime.”