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Japan seeks cooperation with U.S., S. Korea over DPRK nuke test

Xinhua, January 7, 2016 Adjust font size:

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Thursday held phone talks separately with U.S. and South Korean presidents, seeking cooperation with the two countries to cope with the fourth nuclear test conducted by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) in the previous day.

Japan and the United States confirmed their close cooperation to deal with the DPRK's nuclear test, which the country said was a successful hydrogen bomb test, according to Japanese Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Koichi Hagiuda.

During the phone talks earlier the day, Abe told U.S. President Barack Obama that the international community has to take resolute action to send strong message to the DPRK in order to prevent further provocations from the country, Hagiuda was quoted by Japan's Kyodo News as saying.

For his part, Obama said the nuclear test is a threat to the region and the international community, adding his country would take measures to ensure the security of its allies, including Japan, the official said.

Abe on Wednesday strongly condemned the test, saying the move was a "significant threat" to Japan's national security. The Japanese leader also said his country would consider further sanctions against the DPRK.

As one of the 10 non-permanent members of the UN Security Council, Japan discussed with the United States to take the lead in efforts to adopt a new resolution to toughen sanctions against the DPRK, according to Kyodo.

In a separate phone call, Abe told South Korean President Park Geun-hye that Japan wants to closely cooperate with South Korea and the United States so that the UN Security Council will swiftly adopt a resolution on DPRK, Hagiuda was quoted as saying.

The two leaders agreed that the international community needs to make a "firm response" to the nuclear test that violated UN resolutions imposed on the DPRK.

After a magnitude-5.1 shallow-focus earthquake was detected on Wednesday in northeast part of the DPRK, the country's official media made a special report and announced it had successfully conducted its first hydrogen bomb test. The country had conducted three nuclear tests before.

The move prompted the UN Security Council to hold an emergency meeting over the issue and drew international criticism that the test jeopardized efforts to realize a denuclearized Korean Peninsula. Enditem