Japan has hailed the U.N. Security Council’s presidential statement condemning the sinking of the Cheonan.

In a statement issued Saturday, Japanese Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada said Japan welcomes the Council’s statement, adding that the it sends a clear message from the international community to North Korea.

Okada strongly urged the North to stop engaging in provocative acts that aggravate conditions in the region. He added that Tokyo will continue to work closely with South Korea, the United States and other related countries on addressing contentious issues regarding the Korean Peninsula.

Meanwhile, China stressed the need to swiftly conclude the Cheonan case and change the focus to resuming the six-way nuclear talks.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said that while the Council’s statement included the findings of a military-civilian joint probe team that investigated the sinking of the "Cheonan,” the statement also reflected the North’s stance that it was not responsible for the ship’s sinking.

Qin said Beijing hopes related countries will assume a calm attitude and that the Cheonan incident will promptly come to a close with the adoption of the Council’s statement.