Japan and the United States cannot allow North Korea to possess nuclear weapons, Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishia said on Sunday after a meeting with US Secretary of State John Kerry.

Kerry is in Japan for the last stop on an Asian tour aimed at solidifying support for curbing North Korea's nuclear programme. Pyongyang has threatened for weeks to attack the United States, South Korea and Japan since new UN sanctions were imposed in response to its latest nuclear arms test in February, fuelling speculation of a new missile launch or nuclear test.

On Saturday, Kerry met top leaders in China, the North's sole diplomatic and financial benefactor, and urged Beijing to put "some teeth" into efforts to persuade North Korea to alter its policies. He was to meet Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida later on Sunday. – Reuters