Japan foreign minister leaves for Washington to discuss N. Korea

A two-day meeting of the ministers from Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia and the United States will begin with a working lunch on Wednesday, just before North Korea's plan to launch what it claims is an observation satellite on a long-range rocket.

On Tuesday, Gemba will hold a bilateral meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, during which the ongoing talks on the realignment of U.S. forces in Japan will be a major topic, in addition to Pyongyang's plan to put the satellite into orbit,  Kyodo reports.

Japan and the United States see the rocket launch as a disguised ballistic missile test that one day could carry a nuclear warhead.

Gemba has said that Japan, the only Asian country among the G-8 members, wants to lead discussions on North Korea at the multilateral meeting, which will be chaired by Clinton at Blair House, the official U.S. state guest house.

''At the G-8, we'll work with other nations to show our strong will to call on North Korea to forgo'' the rocket launch, Gemba told reporters at the prime minister's office before leaving Tokyo for Washington, adding, ''It's necessary to work down to the wire.''

Above all else, the G-8 ministers will make last-ditch efforts to have North Korea call off the launch of the three-stage rocket, Japanese officials said.

But given that the North's decision to proceed with the launch to coincide with celebrations marking the centennial of the birth of state founder Kim Il Sung appears increasingly inevitable, their discussions could rather focus on how to deal with Pyongyang in the coming weeks.

On Sunday, North Korea allowed some foreign reporters to observe its work in progress at the new Sohae Satellite launch site in Tongchang-ri, where all three stages of the 30-meter-high rocket have already been moved into position.

In either case, the G-8 ministers are likely to send a strong message to North Korea's leadership, now under Kim Jong Un, the third son of the former leader Kim Jong Il who died in December.

North Korea announced the plan in mid-March, only two weeks after it agreed with the United States to halt long-range missile launches, nuclear tests and uranium enrichment activities in return for much-needed 240,000 tons of food aid.

Details also at http://english.kyodonews.jp/news/2012/04/151654.html