MISSILE ACTIVITIES: Japan extends sanctions against North Korea

The continued ballistic missile tests by North Korea has forced Japan to extend unilateral sanctions against Pyongyang by two years.

That much information was made available by Japanese Trade Minister Hiroshige Seko on Friday after North Korea conducted a ballistic missile test off its east coast on Wednesday.

Hiroshige said Tokyo will continue its prohibition of all trade between Japan and North Korea and ban on all North Korean ships from entering Japanese ports.

Japan’s extension of unilateral sanctions against North Korea is coming a day after the United States and South Korea agreed on Thursday to proceed with the deployment of an advanced U.S. missile defence system.

Trump’s national security adviser, H.R. McMaster, agreed in a phone call with his South Korean counterpart on the need to proceed with the deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system in South Korea after Wednesday’s missile launch by North Korea.

South Korean officials said McMaster spoke with his counterpart in Seoul, Kim Kwan-jin, on Thursday morning to discuss the North’s missile launch and the Trump-Xi summit.

“Both sides agreed to pursue … plans in order to substantially strengthen the international community’s sanctions and pressure on North Korea,” South Korea’s presidential Blue House said in a statement.

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