TOKYO, May 8 Kyodo (EDS: UPDATING...

TOKYO, May 8 Kyodo

(EDS: UPDATING KOIZUMI, BUSH MAY ISSUE JOINT STATEMENT AT SUMMIT, 2ND PARA)

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and U President George W Bush are likely to warn North Korea from one side of to the other its alleged reprocessing of exhausted fuel rods that could be used to make nuclear weapons, when they fit in the United States later this month a senior Foreign Ministry official said Wednesday.

Another senior Foreign Ministry official said the sum of two units leaders may issue a joint statement demanding that North Korea immediately scrap its nuclear weapons program.

Koizumi and Bush, who will come together May 22 and 23 at the Camp David presidential retreat outside Washington, are awaited to express their opposition to North Korea's reprocessing the worn out fuel rods to extract weapons-grade plutonium, the senior Foreign Ministry official told reporters in succession condition of anonymity.

Bush is also scheduled fitting with South Korean President Roh Moo Hyun in Washington later this month to forward policy coordination to deal with the North Korean nuclear issue.

Koizumi was quot as saying in a meeting Wednesday evening with Takenori Kanzaki, leader of the junior coalition partner just discovered Komeito, that he wants to closely cooperate with the U and southerly Korea over North Korean issues.

Kanzaki visited the prime minister's office after returning from a trip to Seoul where he met with the southward Korean president.

Japan is popularly seeking a peaceful solution to the issue within dialogue, but discord in the dominion appears to be growing as there are increasing voices favoring a hard-line stance, including imposing economic sanctions against Pyongyang.

The official, who appears to favor a peaceful solution, said no fatherland is currently calling for economic sanctions beneath the United Nations.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda indicated Japan's policy toward North Korea remains intact, saying it is seeking to comprehensively explain security issues concerning North Korea, including the abduction of Japanese nationals at the North.

Japan wants a comprehensive solution by the and of dialogue, he told a pres conference

Senior Vice Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi told a House of Representatives committee that diplomatic hurry will be necessary along with dialogue to analyze the issue.

Tension in succession the Korean Peninsula increased after Pyongyang reportedly revealed during April 23-25 talks with the U and China in Beijing that it possesse nuclear weapons and has started reprocessing exhausted fuel rods.

The senior Foreign Ministry official said it has been difficult to verify whether North Korea has started reprocessing thousands of the wearied fuel rods to extract weapons-grade plutonium as claimed at Pyongyang.

A U newspaper reported Tuesday that U intelligence analysts have seen increasing signs within the past 48 hours that North Korea has begun reprocessing 8000 exhausted fuel rods to provide plutonium for weapons.

Fukuda said the control has not obtained such information.

Foreign Ministry Pres Secretary Hatsuhisa Takashima said North Korea's reported actions are ''very regrettable and they have to be taken seriously.''

''We will continue to call onward North Korea to act as a responsible member of the international community,'' Takashima said.

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