Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda has sent a letter to South Korean President Lee Myung-Bak on efforts to coordinate policies towards North Korea, a presidential spokeswoman said Friday.

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda. Japan was expected to pass a 90.3 trillion yen ($1.1 trillion) budget on Thursday, with about half the spending financed by new bonds that will add to Japan's massive debt mountain. , Photo: AFP

The letter was delivered by Japan's Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Tsuyoshi Saito when he visited the presidential Blue House Friday before an upcoming three-way summit including China next month, she told AFP.

It also reviewed achievements at last month's summit on nuclear security which was hosted by Seoul.

The spokeswoman denied a Japanese media report that the message touched on the issue of Korean women who were forced into sexual slavery for Japanese troops during World War II.

Saito met Chun Young-Woo, senior presidential secretary for foreign affairs and security, and exchanged views on next month's tripartite summit in Beijing.

North Korea has rejected international condemnation of an April 13 satellite launch that was seen overseas as a disguised ballistic missile test, and vowed to launch satellites "one after another".

The rocket disintegrated about two minutes after blast-off. The UN Security Council strongly condemned the launch and said it would tighten existing sanctions.

Experts say the North will probably conduct a new nuclear test.

Source: AFP