Japan will soon resume its involvement in a project to build two light-water nuclear reactors for North Korea, Foreign Minister Masahiko Komura indicated Tuesday.
"It's time to seriously think about the resumption of cooperation," Komura told a news conference. He added, however, that the decision will not be made "today, or tomorrow."
Japan decided to freeze its payment for the reactors under the Korean Peninsula Energy Development Organization following Pyongyang's Aug. 31. launch of a rocket over Japan.
Tokyo's move, made as a protest of the unannounced rocket launch, is well understood by the United States and South Korea, which are also KEDO members, Komura said. But the international community may be beginning to wonder whether Japan will resume cooperation in the project, which is seen as an important measure to prevent North Korea from developing nuclear weapons, Komura added.