Japan to seek international cooperation on warship sinking at summit+

TOKYO, June 22 Kyodo - Prime Minister Naoto Kan said Tuesday that Tokyo will seek strong cooperation with Washington and Seoul in handling the issue of a South Korean warship allegedly sunk by North Korea in March at this weekend's meetings of government heads in Canada.

Kan said he will hold talks with U.S. President Barack Obama on Sunday on the
sidelines of the Group of Eight and Group of 20 summits. The Japanese
government said it is also arranging bilateral meetings between Kan and other
leaders, including South Korean President Lee Myung Bak.
''It is crucial to enhance collaboration within the international community,
especially between Japan, the United States and South Korea'' while there are
calls for the United Nations to determine how North Korea will be punished for
the deadly sinking in March, Kan said at a meeting of his Cabinet ministers
related to the issue.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshito Sengoku told reporters after the meeting, ''We
reconfirmed our awareness of crisis management.''
Pyongyang has denied involvement in the incident, which killed 46 South Korean
sailors, since an international investigation team concluded last month that a
torpedo fired by a North Korean submarine sank the warship.
U.S. Ambassador to Japan John Roos visited Kan at his office later in the day
for their first meeting since Kan assumed office earlier this month.
Kan said he had conveyed to Roos his hope that he will be able to exchange
views with Obama on the ''future of Japan-U.S. relations as well as Asia,'' and
that the leaders will be able to develop an ''individual relationship of
trust'' while discussing those issues.
Kan will leave for Canada on Thursday to attend the Group of Eight and Group of
20 summits, where leaders from industrialized and major developing countries
will discuss key global issues. He will return to Tokyo on Monday.
==Kyodo