Japan's new Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama and UN chief Ban Ki-Moon on Tuesday agreed to stand firm against North Korea's nuclear weapon and missile programs, an official said.

Hatoyama and Ban held their first meeting since the center-left premier took office on Wednesday, ending more than half a century of nearly uninterrupted rule by a conservative party in Japan.

"Our prime minister said that while Japan will do whatever it can do, he hopes the United Nations will also take the lead in resolving the issues of North Korea's nuclear weapons and missiles," a Japanese official said.

"Secretary-General Ban replied that he will spare no effort to resolve the issues surrounding North Korea," the official said on customary condition of anonymity.

Hatoyama's Democratic Party of Japan has vowed to maintain the country's hardline stance against North Korea, which is reviled by many Japanese due to its abductions of Japanese civilians in the 1970s and 1980s to train its spies.

However, Hatoyama has reached out to Asia and some lawmakers in his party have sought more emphasis on starting dialogue with the North. The regime's number two, Kim Yong-Nam, recently voiced hope for "fruitful relations" with the new government.

Later in the day, Japanese Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada held talks with British Foreign Secretary David Miliband and urged the world to "unfailingly carry out sanctions" against North Korea.

"We must not tolerate North Korea, which is repeating nuclear tests despite the UN resolutions," Okada told Miliband, according to another Japanese government official.

Miliband replied that Britain would "strongly" back Japan's stance and maintain close cooperation in stepping up pressure on Pyongyang, the official said.

In April, North Korea quit six-nation talks aimed at ending its nuclear program after the United Nations censured its long-range rocket test. The six-nation format groups the two Koreas, China, Japan, Russia and the United States.

Pyongyang was further angered when the United Nations imposed tougher sanctions after a nuclear test in May, but leader Kim Jong-Il was recently quoted as telling a Chinese envoy he was willing to come back to talks.

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