Japan, U.S. discuss demands for N. Korea

TOKYO, Nov. 6 (UPI) -- U.S. and Japanese officials meeting in Tokyo have agreed to seek progress during upcoming six-party talks over North Korea's nuclear weapons program.

Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuhisa Shiozak, U.S. Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs R. Nicholas Burns and Undersecretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Robert Joseph agreed to demand that Pyongyang dismantle its nuclear weapons and end its nuclear program, the Mainichi Shimbun reported Monday.

Meanwhile, a spokesman for North Korea's Foreign Ministry called for Japan to withdraw from the six-party talks, the country's official KCNA news service reported.

"No sooner had the agreement on the resumption of the six-party talks been made public than the Japanese prime minister, foreign minister, chief cabinet secretary and others are behaving impudently, asserting 'Japan has no idea of accepting North Korea's return to the six-party talks on the premise that it is a nuclear weapons state,'" the spokesman said.

"It is the view of the DPRK that since the U.S. attends the six-party talks, there is no need for Japan to participate in them as a local delegate because it is no more than a state of the U.S. and it is enough for Tokyo just to be informed of the results of the talks by Washington."