Pyongyang has officially rejected Tokyo's recent declaration that the cremated remains Japanese officials brought back from the North are not those of abductee Megumi Yokota, senior Japanese officials said Thursday.
An official representing the North Korean Embassy in Beijing told Hidehisa Horinouchi, minister at the Japanese Embassy in the Chinese capital, that Pyongyang cannot accept Japan's position, according to Chief Cabinet Secretary Hiroyuki Hosoda.
The North Korean official voiced hope that Japan would examine the matter further to learn the "truth" about the remains, Hosoda told a news conference.
Hosoda stated that Japan's findings on the ashes are scientifically sound, adding that the government plans to show North Korea scientific data that back up its claims "very soon." He suggested this may happen next week.
Hosoda also played down North Korea's warning that the imposition of economic sanctions by Japan would be regarded as a declaration of war.
He said stern rhetoric of this kind is a typical reaction from the reclusive state, which he noted often adopts hardline positions before entering into any substantial diplomatic negotiations.
"I don't think there was much meaning that deserves attention," Hosoda said.
Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Nobutaka Machimura said in a speech in Tokyo that North Korea has condemned Japan for "plotting, scheming and fabricating" the results of its examination of the remains.