Japan bans all exports to North Korea

TOKYO, June 16 (UPI) -- The Japanese government Tuesday announced a ban on all exports to North Korea in retaliation for the communist country's nuclear test last month.

The move, in addition to a ban on all imports from North Korea already in place, will mean total suspension of all bilateral trade between the two countries, the Kyodo news agency reported.

The volume of their two-way trade prior to the new restrictions was small but the sanctions were meant to show Japan's tough stance against Pyongyang's nuclear threat, the report said.

The Japanese Cabinet endorsed the decision, which comes in the wake of a U.N. Security Council resolution last week calling for stiffer sanctions against the North.

"'We would like North Korea to take (the sanctions) with sincerity and make efforts to resolve the abduction, nuclear and missile issues as a whole and work toward the normalization of diplomatic relations with Japan,'' Chief Cabinet Secretary Takeo Kawamura told a news conference.

As part of the latest move, the government also decided any foreigner in Japan will be denied reentry if that person violates the restrictions on trade, money transfers or travel to North Korea.