Japan Asks UAE to Reduce N. Korean Workers

New York, Sept. 19 (Jiji Press)--Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono asked the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday to reduce the number of North Korean workers there in an effort to increase pressure on Pyongyang. Kono made the request in a meeting with his UAE counterpart, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, in New York. The request came after the U.N. Security Council last week prohibited countries from bringing in new North Korean workers as part of its fresh sanctions against Pyongyang. In a separate meeting, Kono and British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson agreed to call on China and Russia to play greater roles in international efforts to have North Korea abandon its nuclear and missile programs. Kono told Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland in separate talks that it is necessary to step up pressure on North Korea based on a position that all options are on the table to force Pyongyang to change its policy. Kono and Johnson agreed that Japan and Britain will promote bilateral cooperation on cybersecurity and counterterrorism ahead of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics, based on lessons learned from the 2012 London Games. The Japanese foreign minister also held talks with European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini. END