Ban Ki Moon, South Korea's foreign minister and the next U.N. secretary general, voiced concern Monday over discussions in Japan about the possibility of developing nuclear weapons in response to the recent nuclear test by North Korea.</PARAGRAPH> <PHOTO> <TABLE WIDTH='250' ALIGN='RIGHT' BORDER='0'> <TR> <TD><IMG ALT='News photo' BORDER='0' SRC='../images/photos2006/nn20061107a1a.jpg' WIDTH='250' HEIGHT='185'/></TD> </TR> <TR> <TD><FONT SIZE='1'><B>South Korean Foreign Minister Ban Ki Moon talks with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe during a meeting at the Prime Minister's Official Residence on Monday. </B> AP PHOTO</FONT></TD> </TR> <TABLE> </PHOTO> <PARAGRAPH>Speaking through an interpreter at a news conference at the Japan National Press Club in Tokyo, Ban said: 'Not only as the South Korean foreign minister, but also as the –

U.N. secretary general, I'd like to express concern."

Ban said he understands the Japanese government will maintain its nonnuclear policy, as affirmed by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

But he said it is still "not desirable" that influential politicians continue to discuss possessing nuclear arms as policy option.

In response to the reported nuclear test by Pyongyang on Oct. 9, Shoichi Nakagawa, policy chief of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, has repeatedly called for discussions on whether Japan should arm itself with nuclear weapons, ringing alarm bells both at home and overseas about a possible nuclear arms race in Asia.