Junichiro Koizumi

During a news conference following their summit at a hot spring resort in Ibusuki, Kagoshima Prefecture, Koizumi said Japan will wait for Pyongyang to respond further on the abduction issue before deciding whether to impose economic sanctions.

Roh Moo Hyun

"We will have to see how North Korea responds to demands for the truth. Once we have that, we would then consider what sort of sanctions to impose," Koizumi said.

While voicing support for Japan's position on the abduction issue, Roh said he appreciates Koizumi's pledge to consider the imposition of sanctions carefully because isolating the unpredictable regime could further jeopardize stalled talks aimed at dismantling Pyongyang's nuclear arms program.

The Japan Times Weekly: Dec. 25, 2004
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