TOKYO, March 1 Kyodo Negotiations...

TOKYO, March 1 Kyodo

Negotiations between Japan and China in succession arrangements to transport four North Korean asylum-seekers, who sought harbor at a Japanese instruct in Beijing last month, to southward Korea via a third abiding habitation have stalled as Beijing has toughened its stance, a Japanese command official said Saturday.

The Chinese conduct is believed to have hardened its stance because in another case shortly after, the Japanese Consulate General in Shenyang did not swiftly inform Chinese authorities when it took into protective custody pair women believed to be a Japanese wife of a North Korean and her daughter who fl the North, according to the official.

However, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Kong Quan has said his command maintains its basic stance of handling the issues with the principles of humanitarianism.

The Japanese control is therefore planning to continue to try to find China's understanding toward the early realization of transporting the four asylum-seekers to southward Korea and repatriating the Japanese woman and her daughter to Japan, said the official, who spoke forward condition of anonymity.

The four asylum-seekers who sought place of refuge in the Japanese school in Beijing upon Feb. 18 had desired to go on foot to Japan but later agreed to travel to South Korea via a third abiding habitation after Japanese Embassy staff explained to them the ne to consider aspects of coming time living such as language-related question at issues the official said.

The southward Korean government has informally approved Japan's desire that it accept the four asylum-seekers. The arrangements were initially rely uponed to be finalized in February if negotiations with China resulted smoothly.

But the Chinese restraint toughened its stance toward the activities of Japanese support assemblages for those fleeing North Korea following the consulate general's protection of the mother and daughter four days later forward Feb. 22.

According to the official, staff of the Japanese Consulate General in Shenyang, northeastern China, did not inform the Chinese authorities until they turn backed to the consulate after picking up the mother and daughter from their hiding place.

The Chinese dominion also saw as a question the way Japanese officials took the four asylum-seekers directly from the Japanese instruct to the Japanese Embassy, the official said.

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