Japanese newspapers on Monday urged North Korea's neighbours to abide by a UN Security Council resolution slapping sanctions on the communist state, saying the pressure would not be effective otherwise.
UN member states "must take effective and specific actions swiftly," Japan's most widely read newspaper, the Yomiuri Shimbun, said in an editorial.
"Whether the resolution will be effective or not depends on the actions to be taken by China, Russia and South Korea, which share borders with the North," it said.
Japan is particularly sensitive over North Korea's military build-up as the communist state fired a missile over its main island in 1998 and has admitted kidnapping Japanese civilians in the 1970s and 1980s.
Japan and the United States have pushed for a tough line on North Korea.
China, Russia and South Korea have favoured a more conciliatory approach to the North. The three supported Saturday's Security Council resolution, which imposed sanctions on North Korea, but also called for continued dialogue.
The liberal and influential Asahi Shimbun newspaper applauded the UN resolution but called on Japan to maintain the diplomatic option with Pyongyang.
"While showing a severe stance by supporting the punitive resolution, it is also necessary to stay tactful by using pressure and diplomacy flexibly and keeping the option of talks," the Asahi Shimbun said.
Japan has also imposed far-reaching sanctions on its own. It last week banned all North Korean imports and ships and the entry into Japan by most North Korean nationals.
"So long as North Korea refuses (to accept the UN resolution), the international community must not relax the grip of pressure until it sees a resolution to the series of North Korean issues such as the nuclear, missile and abduction issues," the conservative Sankei Shimbun daily said.