Japanese Foreign Minister Nobutaka Machimura said Tuesday it was unacceptable for North Korea not to scrap nuclear programs before the demand for light-water nuclear reactor is met, Kyodo News reported.

Machimura said Japan "cannot accept the claim," adding that issues concerning the reactors would be discussed after Pyongyang abandons its nuclear weapons and returns to the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty.

North Korea said early Tuesday it would return to the treaty after the United States has provided it with light water reactors for generating power.

The statement came after negotiators concluded the fourth round of six-party talks on Monday in Beijing and issued a joint statement.

North Korea stated in the six-party meeting joint statement that it has the right to peaceful uses of nuclear energy. The other parties expressed their respect and agreed to discuss, at an appropriate time, the subject of the provision of light water reactor to North Korea.

Machimura cautiously welcomed the joint statement on Monday, saying "it will provide an important basis for the six-nation talks to achieve the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula."

(Xinhua News Agency September 20, 2005)