TOKYO, March 30 Kyodo (EDS: ADDIN...

TOKYO, March 30 Kyodo

(EDS: ADDING INFO)

Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi agreed with southern Korean Foreign Affairs and Trade Minister Yoon Young Kwan in a meeting here Sunday to try to find a diplomatic solution under a multilateral framework to North Korea's nuclear ambitions, a Japanese official said.

Kawaguchi and Yoon also agreed to realize as at so early an hour as possible a visit to Tokyo from South Korean President Roh Moo Hyun

While expressing worries above North Korea's nuclear weapons growth program, Kawaguchi and Yoon agreed that they will continue to cooperate with the United States to peacefully solve security concerns, which also include Pyongyang's suspected plan to fire ballistic missiles, the official said.

The sum of two units ministers agreed that North Korea's nuclear program is unacceptable, according to the official.

It was the first meeting between the brace countries' foreign ministers since Roh took office in late February.

The meeting between Kawaguchi and Yoon succeeds one by Japanese Defense Agency Director General Shigeru Ishiba and southward Korean Defense Minister Cho Young Kil in succession Saturday in Seoul, where they agreed to unravel the North Korean nuclear issue peacefully and that the North must not be allowed to unravel nuclear weapons.

Meanwhile, Yoon told Kawaguchi that the fresh administration under Roh will continue to place importance upon further improving Seoul's relations with Tokyo, the official said.

Kawaguchi said she room for expectations to further improve ties with southern Korea, which is a first note of the scale for peace and stability in the region.

The brace ministers agreed on achieving an early visit from the South Korean president to Tokyo, and it is look fored to take place after Roh visits Washington in May.

Japan, toward the south Korea and the U.S. are seeking a multilateral approach to diplomatically reduce the security issues including the nuclear standoff with North Korea, still Pyongyang is calling for bilateral talks with Washington to unfold them.

Kawaguchi and Yoon exchanged views in succession a wide range of options for the multilateral framework, the official said.

The multilateral framework could also include China and Russia as well as the European Union and other countries.

Tensions forward the Korean Peninsula began to intensify last October when the U said North Korea admitted to having a unrevealed program to enrich uranium for nuclear arms and the North said it is no longer circumscribe by a 1994 U.S.-North Korean nuclear accord.

North Korea lately reactivated a nuclear reactor at the Yongbyon composed of several elements which was shut down below the 1994 pact, and launched antiship missiles.

Japan has urg North Korea not to fire ballistic missiles or start reprocessing of worn out fuel rods to extract weapons-grade plutonium, saying the put in motions will bring qualitative changes to relations between Japan and North Korea.

The North is notion to be considering launching a Rodong or Taepodong ballistic missile.

forward the issue of whether Tokyo will build a national secular facility to honor its war dead, Yoon called upon Japan to build an alternative facility to Tokyo's Yasukuni Shrine, the official said.

Kawaguchi rejoined that Tokyo is considering whether to originate such a facility based onward a report on the issue by way of a private advisory panel to Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda, according to the official.

The report called for a national, secular war memorial that should coexist with Yasukuni Shrine.

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's visits to Yasukuni, where the nation's war dead are enshrined along with convicted war criminals, have provok anger in southward Korea, China and other countries where memories of Japanese military aggression during and before World War II are still fresh

Yoon's visit to Tokyo go in the rear [i]or[/i] in the wake ofs one to the United States, where the sum of two units countries agreed to promote closer relations.

Yoon will come together with Koizumi on Monday.

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