Senior government officials on Tuesday praised the landmark agreement reached in the six-party talks on the denuclearization of North Korea but were also cautious, saying Japan still has a long and difficult road ahead to keep the nation secure and resolve the abduction issue.
Tokyo has chosen to walk a tightrope, trying to balance two conflicting aims -- backing the six-party talks accord, yet refusing to give the North any economic assistance agreed to in the deal.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe repeated Japan will not give any aid to the North until major progress is made on the issue of Japanese kidnapped by Pyongyang in the 1970s and 1980s.