Some top government officials said Sunday that ramping up measures to punish North Korea for its nuclear and missile programs is not an option at this time, despite a proposal by the Liberal Democratic Party to do just that.</PARAGRAPH> <PARAGRAPH>'We are not studying imposing additional sanctions at this stage because Japan's –

sanctions are working," Foreign Minister Taro Aso said on a Fuji TV talk show.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuhisa Shiozaki, appearing at a news conference announcing the Cabinet's endorsement of the fiscal 2007 budget, concurred.

"In cooperation with countries such as the United States and South Korea, Japan will continue seeking (an end to North Korea's nuclear ambitions) with the basic policy of holding a dialogue and applying pressure, but new, additional sanctions are not being studied now," he said.

Aso said that while Japan "absolutely needs" to put pressure on Pyongyang, the government "always keeps its window open for holding a dialogue" with the reclusive state.