All networks reported at noon that the Abe cabinet endorsed this morning a plan to freeze the assets of 9 additional entities and 26 additional individuals in North Korea, including banks with addresses in China, Russia, the UAE, and Libya, and their representatives. NHK said that with the addition, the GOJ will have frozen the assets of 84 entities and 108 individuals in total. Chief Cabinet Secretary Suga was quoted as saying at a press briefing this morning: “We have been carefully studying measures by assessing North Korea’s responses to our unilateral sanctions and the UNSC resolutions. North Korea has continued with its provocative rhetoric and actions and no progress has been made on the abduction issue. We decided to freeze additional assets from the viewpoint of further increasing the pressure on North Korea while keeping in mind the U.S.’s unilateral sanctions imposed on Sept, 26.”