South Korean Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon said on Monday he was concerned about recent comments by Japanese politicians that Tokyo should discuss developing nuclear weapons.
The next U.N. Secretary General made the comments following talks with his Japanese counterpart, Taro Aso, on North Korea and other issues.
 "Since the North Korean nuclear test, some influential Japanese politicians have been taking up the issue of the nuclear armament of Japan. I want to express my deep concern about this not just as the Foreign Minister of South Korea, but also as General Secretary of the United Nations."
While in Tokyo, Ban attempted to dampen a brewing debate in Japan over whether the government should discuss the possibility of developing its own nuclear deterrent in response to North Korea's test.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has declared that Japan would not consider developing its own nuclear weapons, but some high-ranking members of his ruling party have called for such discussions following North Korea's October 9th nuclear test.
On Sunday, Shoichi Nakagawa, policy chief of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, reiterated his call for a debate on what to do in the event of a North Korean nuclear attack.
Abe has repeatedly insisted his party won't stray from its long-standing non-nuclear principles.
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Director: Liu Chi