The five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council have agreed on sanctions against North Korea.

Japan and South Korea also support a US draft resolution which calls upon states to avoid any new financial deals with North Korea and to inspect suspicious sea, air and land cargo.

An earlier version of the draft resolution made it compulsory for states to inspect suspicious cargo destined for North Korea, but this requirement was dropped during more than two weeks of negotiations. Russia and China in particular were opposed to overly strict measures.

On Friday, the Security Council will vote on the draft resolution which is intended as a response to the North Korean nuclear test and the missile launches which took place last month.