Japan imposes additional sanctions against N Korea

Japan has announced imposing fresh sanctions against North Korea to take pressure on the country a notch higher to halt its nuclear weapons and missile development.

Japan's Foreign Ministry has made an announcement that it is freezing the assets of 19 companies in a bid to discourage the development of North Korea's missile programme, reported Fox News.

Businesses on the blacklist include banks, coal and minerals traders, and transport firms.

British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson doubled down on these sanctions in a meeting with his Japanese counterpart Taro Kono on Thursday, the report said.

The unilateral move displays Japan's commitment to sanctions ahead of a UN Security Council meeting in New York on Friday to discuss the North Korea situation, a ministry official said.

The UN Security Council meeting on Friday is aimed at finding peaceful ways to pressure North Korea to halt its nuclear and ballistic missile tests, and denuclearize the Korean Peninsula.