"We have no alternative but to make it an international issue with the United States playing a central role" if the matter does not move towards a settlement, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hiryuki Hosoda was quoted by Kyodo news agency as saying.

"The UN Security Council is an important organisation," Hosoda said.

He added, however, that the issue should be dealt with by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) before any consideration of taking it to the Security Council.

Hosoda said Japan is cooperating with the United States and South Korea to prevent a situation in which North Korea might carry out a nuclear test.

Japan, the US, the two Koreas, China and Russia have held three rounds of talks. But the North refused to attend a fourth round scheduled for September, citing Washington's "hostile" policy towards it and South Korea's nuclear experiments.

The United States also warned last month that North Korea might have to be brought back to the Security Council.

"I think it would be fair to say that if, at some point, North Korea continues to stonewall, then I think the Security Council is the next logical step," said US under-secretary of state for arms control and international security John Bolton.

North Korea was referred to the Security Council early last year after it withdrew from the Non-Proliferation Treaty and expelled IAEA inspectors.

The council made no decision on the issue.

All rights reserved. � 2005 Agence France-Presse. Sections of the information displayed on this page (dispatches, photographs, logos) are protected by intellectual property rights owned by Agence France-Presse. As a consequence, you may not copy, reproduce, modify, transmit, publish, display or in any way commercially exploit any of the content of this section without the prior written consent of Agence France-Presse.