Japan and Australia agreed Wednesday to keep up pressure on North Korea to denuclearize through the strict enforcement of U.N. sanctions on Pyongyang, despite easing tensions over its arms development program.
Foreign Minister Taro Kono and Defense Minister Takeshi Iwaya, along with their Australian counterparts Marise Payne and Christopher Pyne, said in a joint statement in Sydney that it is "critical" for all U.N. member states to "continue to implement their obligations fully" under the sanctions regime.
The ministers agreed that they need to beef up measures to prevent North Korea from evading those sanctions through illegal ship-to-ship transfers of refined petroleum products and other goods at sea.