Japan says it might consider referring the issue of North Korea's nuclear standoff to the U.N. Security Council if the six-party nuclear talks continue to remain deadlocked.

In a news conference Wednesday, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hiroyuki Hosoda said that if no progress is made in the six-nation nuclear discussions, Tokyo has no alternative but to make the standoff an international issue with the United States playing a central role in such arbitration.

However, the top government official was quick to add that the North's nuclear issue should be dealt with at the International Atomic Energy Agency before being submitted to the Security Council.