Tokyo has imposed a ban on port calls by North Korean ships and foreign vessels that stopped over in the nuclear-armed nation since 2006. Three years later, it added a trade ban and expanded the scope of the ship-entry prohibition, as Pyongyang continued provocative acts.

Japan's decision to maintain sanctions is viewed as reflecting its resolve to keep putting pressure on North Korea despite its recent goodwill gesture related to the human rights issue.

In March, Japan skipped its annual submission to a United Nations panel of a joint resolution condemning North Korea's rights abuses.

Nuclear talks with North Korea have been in the doldrums since the second Washington-Pyongyang summit ended with no accord in Hanoi in late February. Both sides described the conditions for sanctions relief as a major sticking point. (Yonhap)