Japan rejects near-term 6-party talks on NKorea

Japan’s foreign minister says Tokyo will not participate in negotiations with North Korea if the country doesn’t honour previous agreements.

Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara said in a television interview late Monday that such talks were “impossible” after North Korea hit a South Korean island with an artillery barrage.

China last week called for an emergency session of chief negotiators to the six-nation talks, which are aimed at convincing North Korea to abandon its nuclear weapons programme.