U.S. Undersecretary of Defense Douglas Feith said he and Japanese officials discussed halting shipments of fuel oil to the isolated communist state and stopping the construction of nuclear reactors to pressure Pyongyang. No decisions have been reached.

"It's important that the North Koreans understand that there is a price to be paid for violating their commitments and pursuing a capability that threatens the peace and security of the region," Feith said at the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo. "The challenge is devising a way of imposing a price so that diplomacy can work."