By Riyaz ul Khaliq
ANKARA (AA) – Japan on Tuesday extended unilateral sanctions and a ban on all trade with North Korea for two more years.
The measures approved by Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga’s government aim to pressure the communist state to “give up its nuclear and missile programs,” according to Kyodo News.
Japan imposed sanctions on North Korea after Pyongyang first tested nuclear weapons back in 2006, barring imports and forbidding the entry of North Korean-registered ships and vessels that have stopped at a North Korean port.
It expanded the scope of the punitive measures by banning exports in 2009.
Tokyo also blames North Korea for abducting its nationals in the 1970s and 1980s, which remains a significant hurdle in normalizing relations between the two countries.
Japan’s renewal of sanctions comes despite Prime Minister Suga having expressed willingness to meet North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un.