Japan urges Iran to address international concerns on nuclear issue.

(From BBC Monitoring International Reports)

Text of report in English by Japanese news agency Kyodo

Tokyo, 31 January: Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi urged Iran on Tuesday [31 January] to address international concerns about its contentious nuclear programmes, indicating his country's readiness to back a move to refer the issue to the UN Security Council.

"It is important that Iran makes a sincere response over its suspected nuclear development," Koizumi told reporters at his official residence.

"Japan will cooperate (with the international community) to have it deal properly with the nuclear suspicions," he said.

Chief …