Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said Thursday that repeated provocative actions made by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) were " extremely regrettable."

Japan's top government spokesman said his country will closely cooperate with related countries in urging the DPRK to follow agreements reached at the six-party talks and resolutions adopted by the UN Security Council.

Japanese Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera said separately that Japan will keep close contact with the United States to cope with Pyongyang's threats.

Situation in the Korean Peninsula has worsened since the DPRK carried out its third nuclear test on February 12 and the UN Security Council adopted new sanctions against the DPRK last month.

The DPRK, which decided to restart its nuclear complex Tuesday, announced Thursday that it will "take powerful practical military counteractions" against the United States and South Korea which are staging annual war games. Endi