Liberal Democratic Party

North Korea carried out its third nuclear test on February 12. The LDP regards the provocative action as totally unacceptable. North Korea has defied the strong calls from Japan and other countries to restrain from further nuclear tests. Such actions threaten the safety and peace of Japan as well as that of the international community.

North Korea's provocative action violated UN Security Council resolution 2087 adopted unanimously on January 22, the 2002 Japan-North Korea Pyongyang Declaration, and the Six-Party Joint Statement of September 2005.

We urge the Japanese government to protest the action in the strongest terms. The government must work closely with the United States and South Korea, engage in dialogue with China and Russia, and seek to bolster the sanctions contained Security Council Resolution 2087. We also strongly urge the Japanese government to undertake full diplomatic efforts to realize the intention of Resolution 2087 that states that the UN will "take significant action in event of a further DPRK launch or nuclear test".

Furthermore, this is an opportunity for the Japanese government to revisit the abduction of Japanese nationals to North Korea, a longstanding and unresolved issue between the two countries. North Korea has failed to reopen the investigation of abductees agreed by both countries in 2008 and our government must therefore endeavor to bring North Korea to account while exploring additional measures with regard nuclear testing.

For the sake of national security and the safety of peoples around the world, the Japanese government must condemn this nuclear test, as well as the recent ballistic missile launch, and make all efforts to introduce measures that will prevent such hostile actions in the future.