A government foreign policy advisory panel recommended Thursday that Japan seek gradual changes in North Korea instead of pursuing a "quick overthrow of the current regime" and use economic aid as a carrot.
Yukio Okamoto, a foreign policy critic who heads the nine-member panel, submitted the finalized recommendations to Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi at the Prime Minister's Official Residence.
The task force was launched in September 2001 to help the government formulate a basic diplomatic strategy for the new century.