Ruling Uri Party chairman Lee Bu-young has discussed North Korea's nuclear arms program and other bilateral issues with Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi.
Lee, who's currently in Tokyo, called on Thursday for Japan to initiate a "peace initiative" toward the Korean Peninsula. In response, Koizumi said that Tokyo considers the six-party talks an effective framework for resolving the North's nuclear standoff and wants to keep cooperating with Seoul.
Koizumi also reiterated that Japan plans to more aggressively pursue normalization of diplomatic ties with North Korea after first resolving various issues of concern between the two nations.
Before meeting with Koizumi, Lee met with the president of the Democratic Party of Japan, Katsuya Okada, and cautioned against Tokyo's resorting to economic sanctions against the North over unresolved issues surrounding its nuclear ambitions and past abduction of Japanese citizens.
Lee said economic sanctions could prompt "something unwanted by both Japan and South Korea" to happen.
Okada reportedly replied that his party thinks sanctions can be used as a diplomatic tool, and not for the sake of overthrowing the North Korean regime.