Japan rejects N Korean talks call

Mr Ban (left) expressed alarm at calls for nuclear debate in Japan

Japan has rejected a North Korean demand it stay away from the next round of six-party talks on ending Pyongyang's nuclear plans.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe dismissed the suggestion, saying Japan's stance had not changed.

Pyongyang hit out at Japan over the weekend for its refusal to accept North Korea as a nuclear state.

Agreement to restart talks, which stalled a year ago, was reached between the US, N Korea and China last week.

No date has yet been set for the next round of talks - which also include South Korea and Russia - but negotiators hope they will resume before the end of the year.

Tensions in the region have risen dramatically since the North's nuclear test on 9 October.

Japan has imposed its own sanctions on Pyongyang, in addition to UN arms and financial sanctions agreed following the test.

Propaganda banners

Pyongyang on Saturday accused Japanese officials of being "political imbeciles incapable of judging the trend of the situation" for not recognising North Korea as a nuclear state.

The statement from the foreign ministry also said Japan need not attend the forthcoming talks as it was nothing more than a client state of the US.

KOREAN NUCLEAR CRISIS Sept 2005: At first hailed as a breakthrough, North Korea agrees to give up nuclear activities Next day, N Korea says it will not scrap its activities unless it gets a civilian nuclear reactor US imposes financial sanctions on N Korea businesses July 2006: N Korea test-fires seven missiles UN Security Council votes to impose sanctions over the tests Oct 2006: N Korea claims to have carried out nuclear test N Korea's mercurial leader N Korea nuclear timeline

The BBC's Chris Hogg in Tokyo says Pyongyang has made such demands before and no-one in the Japanese government is concerned about it.

After talks with Shinzo Abe in Tokyo, UN Secretary General designate Ban Ki-moon expressed concern over calls in Japan to consider acquiring nuclear weapons.

While Prime Minister Abe has insisted there are no plans to change Japan's long-standing policy of not possessing or allowing nuclear weapons, others top officials have called for a debate.

"I don't think remarks like these are desirable for the future of Japan, which is one of the most important members of the UN and also a major power in north-east Asia," Mr Ban told reporters.

Mr Ban and Mr Abe also discussed how Japan raises the issue of North Korea's abductions of foreign nationals at the UN.

Mr Abe said he also received assurances from Mr Ban - who is still South Korea's foreign minister - that Seoul would comply with the UN resolution imposing sanctions on the North.

Meanwhile, South Korea's Dong-A Ilbo newspaper reports that banners have been put up around Pyongyang applauding the recent nuclear test.

One photograph showed a long red-and-white banner proclaiming: "Hurrah matchless general Kim Jong-il who has built a global nuclear power."