Japan PM issues sarin warning over North Korea
Shinzo Abe, the Japanese prime minister, warned on Thursday that North Korea may already have the capability to launch missiles equipped with sarin nerve agent toward Japan.
Mr Abe was speaking amid rising concern that Pyongyang was poised to throw down the gauntlet to Donald Trump with a nuclear test.
International tensions have been mounting after analysts said the rogue regime was preparing a nuclear test site ahead of a key anniversary on Saturday – occasions when North Korea has been known to test its military hardware.
Meanwhile, a US navy strike group continued to steam to North Korean waters, a show of force by Donald Trump after he vowed that Washington would act alone to confront the reclusive state over its military buildup.
Mr Trump is concerned over North Korea’s plans to develop a missile which could reach the continental United States, but Pyongyang is more likely to target either South Korea or Japan with a strike.
"The security situation around our country is getting increasingly severe," Mr Abe said as he addressed the Japanese parliament's diplomacy and defence committee.
"We have just talked about Syria. There is a possibility that North Korea already has a capability to put sarin on warheads to strike the ground," he said.
North Korea is not a signatory to the international Chemical Weapons Convention.
It is thought to have as many as 5,000 tonnes of chemical weapons, a stockpile which reportedly has 25 types of agents, including sarin.
Pyongyang has carried out five nuclear tests since 2006, including two last year.
A Washington-based think-tank that monitors North Korea, 38 North, said satellite images on Wednesday showed activity around the its Punggye-ri nuclear test site on the east coast that indicated it was ready for a new test.
Observers predict that the North is most likely to carry out a test on Saturday, the 105th anniversary of the birth of state founder Kim Il Sung.
But South Korean officials said there was no increased activity to suggest that a test was imminent, while Japan said military action was unlikely.
A sixth nuclear test would be in breach of US sanctions and a direct challenge to President Trump, who has been warning Pyongyang that Washington’s patience is at an end.
Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi attempted to ease tensions on Thursday.
"Military force cannot resolve the issue,” Mr Wang said, in comments which echoed those of Xi Jinping, the Chinese president, who called for a peaceful resolution to the North Korean issue in a phone call with Mr Trump on Wednesday.
Mr Wang also warned that history would hold to account any party which instigated military action.
Meanwhile, an influential Chinese newspaper, the Global Times, said China would protect North Korea if it vowed to give up nuclear weapons.
North Korea's nuclear history: key moments
An editorial in the daily tabloid, which has close links to the ruling Communist Party, said: “As soon as North Korea complies with China’s declared advice and suspends nuclear activities ... China will actively work to protect the security of a denuclearised North Korean nation and regime.”
China has, however, already taken a “big step” in putting pressure on North Korea by turning back shipments of coal from its neighbour, Mr Trump said.
The move, which China announced in February, is expected to cause serious economic concerns for the impoverished nation.
China is by far Pyongyang's biggest trading partner and coal exports were worth almost £1 billion to North Korea last year – about one third of its export income.
