Security issues concerning North Korea, including its nuclear arms program, will remain at the top of Japan's diplomatic agenda in 2004, with Tokyo hoping to see substantial progress following Libya's recent renunciation of weapons of mass destruction.
Japan meanwhile hopes the United States, its key ally on the international stage, will help resolve the North Korean security concerns, including the fate of Japanese abducted by Pyongyang decades ago and its missile program.
Tokyo is concerned about North Korea's nuclear arms program not only because it threatens the security of Northeast Asia but also because of growing public concern about WMD.