Japan govt unhappy over MP visit to North Korea

TOKYO, Jan 9 (Reuters) Japan's top government spokesman today expressed disapproval over a visit to North Korea by a senior ruling party lawmaker, saying it was ''undesirable'' at a time when Tokyo was imposing sanctions on Pyongyang.

Taku Yamasaki, a former deputy leader of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), was to leave Beijing for Pyongyang today morning, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuhisa Shiozaki said.

The visit coincides with concerns that North Korea might be readying a second nuclear test after an October 9 test that sparked condemnation around the globe and punitive UN-backed sanctions.

''North Korea launched missiles in July and conducted a nuclear test in October and our country took various steps,'' Shiozaki said, adding that those measures included having civil servants and the public refrain from visiting the North.

''In a situation where we are taking such measures, it is not desirable for a member of parliament, who is a representative of the people, to travel to North Korea,'' Shiozaki told a news conference.

Yamasaki -- a long-time ally of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's predecessor Junichiro Koizumi -- had not coordinated his Pyongyang trip with the government, Shiozaki said.

''I want him to understand that we are putting pressure (on the North),'' Jiji news agency quoted Abe -- who made his name at home for a tough stance toward Pyongyang -- as telling reporters.

Six-party talks among the two Koreas, China, the United States, Japan and Russia last month failed to make progress toward getting Pyongyang to abandon its nuclear arms programme.

But South Korea said yesterday that the United States and North Korea have tentatively agree to meet later this month to discuss a crackdown on the North's finances that has stalled the nuclear negotiations.

Koizumi made two trips to Pyongyang while prime minister, and a media report last month said he was willing to go again to seek a breakthrough in the stalemate over the North's nuclear programme and a feud over Japanese citizens abducted decades ago to help train spies.

Reuters LL DB1137