Nations Aim to Prevent Illegal Exports to North Korea
Japan and seven Pacific Rim countries, including China, South Korea and the United States, recently reached an agreement to take additional measures to prevent North Korea from obtaining illegal products with military potential via indirect exports. The meeting, organized by Japan, was the first to focus exclusively on export controls in Asia.
The agreement reached by the eight countries will establish a system whereby the countries can inform each other about suspicious trade practices. The participants agreed to draw up a basic principle on export controls in the region when they gather again in Tokyo in early 2004.