The Japanese Foreign Minister says Japan will continue asking the US to exempt it from joining economic sanctions against Iran, while it considers cutting its Iranian oil imports.

Foreign Minister Koichiro Gemba told a news conference on Friday about a 2-day working-level meeting that finished in Tokyo on Thursday. The United States passed a law in December aimed at halting Iran's oil trade.

Gemba said that at the meeting, Japan stressed the importance of cooperation with the United States and the international community.

He said the United States indicated it will carefully enforce the sanction legislation, while bearing in mind factors that Gemba has repeatedly raised. These include the March disaster's impact on the Japanese economy and the importance of stability for the global economy and oil prices.

News credit: http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/20120120_38.html

Image credit: http://neftegaz.ru/images/Neft%20Perey/Iran%20oil.jpg