Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi said Tuesday he hopes the U.N. Security Council votes on a resolution calling for sanctions on North Korea before the Group of Eight summit starts in St. Petersburg, Russia, this weekend.
The comments came after Japan and the United States agreed to delay a vote on the resolution Monday night, after China sent a diplomat to Pyongyang to persuade it to return to the six-party talks aimed at negotiating an end to North Korea's nuclear arms program.
The six parties are Japan, the U.S., North and South Korea, China and Russia.