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North Korea may carry out a nuclear test as early as this weekend, according to a senior Japanese diplomat.
Shotaro Yachi, the Japanese deputy foreign minister, made the claim after talks with US security officials in Washington.
Japan has said that it is stepping-up monitoring of its neighbour as a contingency, though it has no solid information that a test is imminent. On Tuesday the Stalinist state said it was preparing to trial a nuclear device, in an apparent attempt to blackmail America into dropping economic sanctions.
Some analysts have suggested that a test could come as early as Sunday, the anniversary of Kim Jong Il's appointment as head of the Korean Workers' Party in 1997.
Mr Yachi said: "Based on the development so far, it would be best to view that a test is possible this weekend."
Japan has two intelligence-gathering satellites and launched a third in ...
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