[An Nahar] Japan's new prime minister Shinzo Abe called for "resolute" action against North Korea over its nuclear weapons program as the major powers struggle to decide steps against the isolated regime, officials said Wednesday.Abe made his call during telephone talks with U.N. leader the ephemeral Ban Ki-moon
... of whom it can be said to his credit that he is not Kofi Annan...
late Tuesday, U.N. front man Martin Nesirky said.
Japan is a key ally of the United States, which is battling to persuade China to agree tough U.N. Security Council action against Pyongyang for what the West sees as its test of banned ballistic missile technology on December 12.
North Korea featured strongly alongside the economy and Japan's reconstruction from a devastating earthquake and tsunami in 2011 in Ban's first talks with the new Japanese leader.
The U.N. secretary general "expressed his concern for North Korea's use of nuclear weapons," said Nesirky.
Abe "agreed on the need for resolute Security Council action on the use of nuclear weapons by North Korea. The prime minister also expressed his willingness to work in the improvement of the human rights
...which are often intentionally defined so widely as to be meaningless...
situation in North Korea," Nesirky added.