Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe suggested Friday the Cabinet may decide to impose financial sanctions against North Korea next Tuesday under a U.N. Security Council resolution condemning Pyongyang's July missile launches.
"Right now, the government is in principle considering the issue," Abe said when asked about reports that the decision will be made Tuesday -- a day before the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's presidential election.
Foreign Minister Taro Aso told a news conference that the date for the decision has not yet been fixed, calling the reports "speculation."