ANKARA

Japan on Tuesday decided to extend sanctions against North Korea for another two years, local media reported.

According to the daily Japan Times, the sanctions aim to maintain pressure on Pyongyang to "denuclearize and resolve its past abductions of Japanese nationals."

Japan has had unilateral sanctions in place against North Korea ever since Pyongyang’s first nuclear arms test in 2006.

It has extended sanctions many times since, with the latest package facing expiration on Saturday.

"The sanctions impose a total ban on bilateral exports and imports, and forbid the entry into Japan of North Korean-registered ships, as well as vessels that have stopped at a North Korean port," the newspaper reported.

Tokyo also blames Pyongyang for the abduction of 17 of its nationals.

The daily noted that Japanese premier Shinzo Abe expressed "willingness to engage with North Korea through direct talks with leader Kim Jong-un to resolve the abduction issue."

Early in March, Japan refrained from sponsoring a UN resolution condemning North Korea for human rights abuses.

"The abduction issue has prevented the normalization of diplomatic ties between Tokyo and Pyongyang," the report said.