Japan said Sunday that it appreciated the adoption of a United Nations Security Council resolution to impose sanctions on Iran over its controversial nuclear program.

"Japan is strongly concerned about the current situation concerning Iran's nuclear issue, and considers it necessary to address this issue in a resolute manner in view of the maintenance of the international nuclear non-proliferation regime, ..." Foreign Minister Taro Aso said in a statement.

The resolution, adopted unanimously by the Security Council on Saturday, demanded that Iran "suspend all enrichment-related and reprocessing activities, including research and development," and "work on all heavy water-related projects."

The resolution also called on all states to impose a ban on trade with Iran in goods related to its nuclear programs and ballistic missile delivery systems.

Japan wishes that the Iran nuclear issue can be resolved peacefully through negotiations and "strongly expects" that Iran will abide by the requirements of the resolution, Aso said.

Source: Xinhua