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Related report: DPRK conducts nuclear test

TOKYO, Nov. 6 (Xinhua) -- Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Aso and visiting senior U.S. diplomats agreed on Monday that the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) should abandon all nuclear programs in line with U.N. resolutions and that U.N. and Japanese sanctions would remain in place even after the meeting started.

The agreement was reached at a meeting between Nicholas Burns, who is U.S. Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs, Robert Joseph, the Undersecretary of State for Arms Control and International Security, and Aso.

Japan and the United States are in agreement that Security Council Resolution 1718 "must be fully and effectively implemented" until the DPRK "meets all of the demands of the Security Council," Joseph was quoted as saying by Kyodo News.

Aso said the two nations agreed that they would not accept the DPRK as "a nuclear state" and that sanctions in line with the resolution as well as Japan's own sanctions "would not be relaxed" just because the six-party talks were being held.

The foreign minister said he would propose holding five-nation talks with his counterparts from the United States, South Korea, China and Russia to discuss the DPRK's nuclear program on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum summit in Vietnam's Hanoi next week.

The DPRK nuclear test early last month sparked U.N. condemnations and sanctions. Japan had imposed its own sweeping sanctions before the nuclear test.

Pyongyang agreed on Nov. 1 to return the negotiation table on the premise that the issue of lifting U.S. financial sanctions against the DPRK would be discussed and settled within the framework of the six-party talks.

Joseph and Burns also met with Japanese Defense Agency chief Fumio Kyuma. Joseph was also quoted as saying during the meeting that trilateral cooperation between Australia, Japan, the United States is necessary in operational and intelligence matters.

WASHINGTON, Nov. 6 (Xinhua) -- The United States said on Monday that Japan should continue to be part of the six-party talks in addressing the nuclear issue of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).

"Obviously Japan is one of the core members of the group. They're part of the six-party talks. You can't have six-party talks without them, and we fully expect that they will be at the table when the next round convenes," State Department deputy spokesman Tom Casey said at a briefing.

U.S. urges six-party talks to resume as soon as possible

WASHINGTON, Nov. 6 (Xinhua) -- The United States said on Monday that it hopes the six-party talks aimed at addressing the nuclear issue of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) could resume as soon as possible.

"Certainly, we're looking forward to having those talks reconvene at the earliest possible date," State Department deputy spokesman Tom Casey said at a briefing.

China says it wants six-party talks to resume as early as possible

BEIJING, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- China wants to resume the six-party talks on the Korean Penisula nuclear issue as early as possible, said Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao on Thursday.

"China is working with other parties to fix a time convenient to all sides," Liu said, adding that topics and negotiation methods could not be decided by any single party.

China, DPRK, U.S. agree to resume six-party talks soon

BEIJING, Oct. 31 (Xinhua) -- The six-party talks on the Korean peninsula nuclear issue are to resume soon, according to a source from the Chinese Foreign Ministry here Tuesday.

At the invitation of China, the heads of delegations to the talks from China, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and the United States had an informal meeting in Beijing Tuesday, said the source.

"The three parties agreed that the six-party talks be held soon at a time convenient to the six parties," the source said.