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The Japanese cabinet has approved a ban on the export of luxury goods to North Korea.
The move is in line with United Nations sanctions imposed in the wake of Pyongyang's nuclear test last month.

The list of 24 goods includes caviar, cars, watches, alcoholic drinks, cigarettes and jewellery. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said the ban was designed to affect North Korean officials rather than the impoverished general public.

"We hope that North Korea will accept these measures taken by Japan as the message of the international community's strong concern and condemnation," said Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuhisa Shiozaki.

The ban will affect products which earned Japanese companies 1.1bn yen ($9.36m) in 2005, and accounted for 16% of Japan's exports to North Korea.

Other Japanese measures are already in force, including a ban on North Korean imports and the prevention of ships from the North entering Japanese ports.


Clash fears

Japan's export ban is in line with UN sanctions imposed on North Korea, which also call for an arms embargo and a travel ban for senior officials.

While Tokyo has been quick to adopt measures in line with the UN Security Council agreement, other countries in the region remain more reticent about taking steps that might anger North Korea.

South Korean officials said on Monday that Seoul would not join the US-led Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI) to stop and search suspicious North Korean ships.

The initiative was launched in 2003 as a way of stopping the spread of weapons of mass destruction by searching suspicious cargo ships at sea.

But officials said South Korea did not want to antagonise the North right now, as it had moved to rejoin six-party nuclear talks.

South Korean officials are believed to be worried that intercepting a North Korean ship could trigger an armed clash, which is of particular concern since the two countries remain technically at war.

The subject of North Korea's nuclear programme remains at the top of the regional agenda, and is due to be one of the main topics of discussion at the upcoming Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation (Apec) forum in Hanoi later this week.