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Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso and visiting South Korean President Lee Myung-bak met聽in Tokyo聽Sunday (June 28), seeking closer cooperation on the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula and reaffirming closer bilateral ties.
At a joint press conference, Lee said that he agreed with Aso that they will "never tolerate a nuclear-armed North Korea," and it is necessary to "make it clear to (Pyongyang) that there is nothing that it can gain from its nuclear tests and missile launches."
Aso said he and Lee agreed Japan, South Korea and the United States should strengthen cooperation over the issue and deepen cooperation with China.
Lee arrived in Tokyo Sunday morning -- his fourth visit to Japan as president and part of the so-called "shuttle diplomacy" between the two East Asian neighbors.
Lee's visit came as the international community aimed to punish Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) after its second underground nuclear test in May.
Regarding the implementation of the new UN resolution on DPRK, the two leaders agreed to exchange information and cooperate further on cargo inspections of DPRK vessels suspected of carrying nuclear or missile-related items, Aso said.
During their talks, Lee and Aso also discussed the idea of holding five-party talks excluding Pyongyang, "with an aim of making progress in the six-party talks," Aso said.
The five-party talks was proposed by South Korea after the six-party denuclearization talks was stalled since December over ways to verify Pyongyang's nuclear activities.
They met Japanese and South Korean business leaders on ways to improve bilateral economic relations, as well as to talk on the resumption of talks on a free trade agreement.
The two leaders also agreed to work jointly on issues such as antipiracy missions off the coast of Somalia and economic assistance to Afghanistan and Pakistan.
The South Korean president also expressed his intention to "actively support" Tokyo's bid to host the 2016 Olympic Games during his talks with Aso, according to Kyodo News.
Editor: 寮犺幑
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