U.S., Japan, S. Korea warn of 'unparalleled' response if N. Korea holds nuclear test - Reuters

TOKYO, Oct 26 (Reuters) - The United States, Japan and South Korea warned connected Wednesday that an "unparalleled" standard of effect would beryllium warranted if North Korea conducts a seventh atomic weaponry test.

Washington and its allies judge North Korea could beryllium astir to resume atomic weaponry investigating for the archetypal clip since 2017.

"We agreed that an unparalleled standard of effect would beryllium indispensable if North Korea pushes up with a seventh atomic test," South Korean First Vice Foreign Minister Cho Hyun-dong told a quality league successful Tokyo.

Cho was speaking alongside his Japanese and U.S. counterparts, Vice Foreign Minister Takeo Mori and Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman.

The United States and its allies person offered fewer details connected what caller measures they mightiness take, and observers accidental they person fewer bully options for preventing a caller test.

For the archetypal clip since North Korea began investigating atomic weapons successful 2006, China and Russia this twelvemonth vetoed a U.S.-led propulsion for further United Nations Security Council sanctions, and stepped-up allied subject drills person lone been met by much North Korean tests and exercises.

"We impulse (North Korea) to refrain from further provocations," Sherman said, calling them "reckless and profoundly destabilising for the region.

"Anything that happens here, specified arsenic a North Korean atomic trial ... has implications for the information of the full world," she said, sending a thinly veiled connection to Pyongyang's supporters, China and Russia, successful the UN Security Council.

"We anticipation so that everyone connected the Security Council would recognize that immoderate usage of a atomic limb volition alteration the satellite successful unthinkable ways."

When asked astir the comments retired of Tokyo, Chinese overseas ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin called connected each the countries to admit "the basal causes of the long-standing impasse" and instrumentality steps to heighten communal spot and code the concerns of each parties successful a balanced manner.

North Korea has been carrying retired weapons tests astatine an unprecedented gait this year, firing much than 2 twelve ballistic missiles, including 1 that flew implicit Japan.

Angered by South Korea's subject activities, Pyongyang past week fired hundreds of artillery shells disconnected its coasts successful what it called a sedate informing to its neighbour to the south.

In September, the USS Ronald Reagan and accompanying ships conducted associated subject exercises with South Korean forces successful effect to a North Korean ballistic rocket trial successful what was their archetypal associated subject grooming involving a US craft bearer since 2017.

In response, the United States, South Korea and Japan person committed to deepening cooperation, Mori said.

"We agreed to further fortify deterrence and effect capableness of the Japan-U.S. confederation and the U.S.-South Korea alliance, and to beforehand further information practice among the 3 countries," Mori said.

On mounting tensions betwixt China and Taiwan, Sherman reiterated the United States' stance that it does not enactment Taiwan's independence, but that it does not halt it from moving with Japan and South Korea to assistance Taiwan support itself.

"United States has repeated publically that we bash not enactment Taiwan's independence, but we privation to guarantee that determination is peace, and truthful we volition beryllium doing immoderate we tin to enactment Taiwan and to enactment with Japan and with Republic of Korea to guarantee that Taiwan tin support itself," Sherman said.

At a Communist Party gathering this month, Chinese President Xi Jinping called for accelerating China's plans to physique a world-class subject and said his state would ne'er renounce the close to usage unit to resoluteness the Taiwan issue.

China claims democratically ruled Taiwan arsenic its ain territory, portion Taiwan's authorities powerfully objects to China's sovereignty claims and says lone the island's 23 cardinal radical tin determine its future.

Reporting by Kiyoshi Takenaka successful Tokyo, Additional reporting by Hyonhee Shin, Soo-hyang Choi and Josh Smith successful Seoul, and Eduardo Baptista successful Beijing; Writing by Chang-Ran Kim; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.