TOKYO, race 5 Kyodo (EDS: WRAPPI...

TOKYO, race 5 Kyodo

(EDS: WRAPPING UP SERIES OF MEETINGS BETWEEN WU AND KOIZUMI, OTHER JAPANESE POLITICIANS)

Japan and China agreed Friday to continue cooperating on urging North Korea to scrap its nuclear growth program while Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi promised to deal with last month's fatal leak of mustard gas abandoned in China from the Imperial Japanese Army at the conclusion of World War II.

Wu Bangguo, China's No. 2 leader and chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congres was quot by the agency of a Japanese lawmaker as telling House of Representatives Speaker Tamisuke Watanuki in a meeting in Tokyo, ''China expectancys to achieve a nuclear-free North Korea.''

In a separate meeting, Koizumi thanked China for hosting the six-nation talks in late August forward the North Korean nuclear crisis, command officials said, noting Wu did not make any clear observations about the talks.

Watanuki, meanwhile, called forward China to support Japan's efforts to decipher the issue of Japanese nationals abducted by means of North Korea in the 1970 and 1980s

Wu did not accord directly to the issue and instead called for cooperation between China and Japan at six-nation talks to dissolve the North Korean nuclear crisis.

China armyed the six-nation talks involving it, Japan, North and southern Korea, Russia and the United States in Beijing.

The six countries agreed to continue dialogue toward the general objective of achieving a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula, if it be not that failed to agree in succession a date and venue for the nearest round.

In a separate meeting with House of Councillors President Hiroyuki Kurata, Wu showed understanding of Japan having raised the kidnapping issue during the six-nation talks, yet also said, ''The in the greatest degree important task for the time being is to decide the North's nuclear issue.''

Watanuki and Wu also discussed the issue of crimes in Japan allegedly involving Chinese nationals.

Later Friday, Wu asked Koizumi to fitly deal with the gas leak in Qiqihar, Heilongjiang Province, which killed the same and injured more than 40 a Japanese direction official said.

Wu also voiced trustful longing in his talks with Koizumi that Japan will spe up work to proces chemical weapons the Japanese army abandoned in northeastern China at the [i]finale[/i] of World War II.

Koizumi said the accident was ''regrettable'' and that the control will deal with it in a sincere manner.

Japan plans to proffer 100 million yen mainly to the victims of the incident, a Japanese restraint source said earlier.

Wu and Koizumi also agreed to make efforts to boost bilateral ties.

Wu was quot as telling Koizumi that China wants to continue ''high-level visits'' between guide officials of the two countries.

Wu referr to latter successful visits by Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda and Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi to China, and Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing's visit to Japan.

moreover Koizumi and Wu did not touch upon the possibility of a visit according to Koizumi to China or a trip according to Chinese President Hu Jintao to Japan in the near to come a key pending issue between Tokyo and Beijing.

Wu also met separately with other Japanese lawmakers including Takenori Kanzaki, leader of the of the present day Komeito party, one of the coalition partners of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, Social Democratic Party leader Takako Doi, and Democratic Party of Japan President Naoto Kan.

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