North Korea calls for "ties" with Japan

       North Korea's nominal No 2 leader has called for "fruitful relations"with Japan's next prime minister, Yukio Hatoyama, but ties will depend on how Tokyo tackles issues such as compensation for Japan's 1910-1945 colonial rule, Kyodo news agency reported yesterday.
       Kim Yong-nam, president of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly, also suggested in an interview that leader Kim Jong-il had no health problems, adding that there had been no discussions on who would succeed him, Kyodo reported from Pyongyang.
       "The prospect of [North] Korea-Japan relations will solely depend on the attitude of the Japanese government," Mr Kim was quoted by Kyodo as saying.
       Ties between Japan and North Korea have been rocky because of issues ranging from Japan's past colonisation to North Korea's abductions of Japanese citizens in the 1970s and 1980s, as well as concerns about Pyongyang's nuclear and missile programmes.
       Tokyo imposed an array of sanctions on the North after a series of missile and nuclear tests, while North Korea's official media are routinely scathing in their criticism of Japan.
       Mr Hatoyama advocates closer ties with Asian neighbours but his party has promised to take firm measures to urge North Korea to abandon its nuclear programme with help from the international community.
       Meanwhile, South Korea yesterday repeated demands that North Korea apologise for opening dam floodgates and killing six southerners, as officials checked whether its action violates international rules.
       The North has yet to respond to the call for an apology. On Monday it promised to give prior warning of future discharges.
       However, Unification Ministry spokesman Chun Hae-sung said relevant ministries are investigating whether the unannounced release of the dam water violates international laws.