A Japanese daily says Prime Minister Taro Aso believes that calls for Japan’s nuclear armament would rise within his nation if North Korea’s nuclear standoff deepens further.

Japan’s Asahi Shimbun said Friday that Aso made the suggestion when he met with President Lee Myung-bak for summit talks in Tokyo last month in a bid to persuade China to seek more active measures toward North Korea.

The report, however, said Lee and Aso did not include the suggestion in a disclosed joint statement after their summit talks.

The report also quoted a Japanese government official as saying that no calls for Japan’s nuclear armament have been made.