Japan's Cabinet approved a six-month extension Tuesday for trade sanctions that Tokyo imposed on North Korea last October in the wake of Pyongyang's nuclear test, an official said. The government's decision to extend the measures comes amid concerns that North Korea will fail to meet a weekend deadline to shut down its nuclear program because of a dispute over frozen North Korean funds. The measures extended Tuesday include closing ports to North Korean ships and banning the import of North Korean goods, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuhisa Shiozaki told reporters.
