U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has urged North Korea to return to talks on scrapping its nuclear arms program and says Washington's Asian allies could do more to bring Pyongyang back to the negotiating table.

Rice made the remarks in a speech to professors, students, politicians and business leaders at a university in Tokyo.

Rice arrived in Tokyo Friday evening, her first visit to Japan since being appointed Secretary of State.

During her trip, she is expected to hold talks with Japan's prime minister Junichiro Koizumi and foreign minister Nobutaka Nachimura on the North Korean nuclear crisis and also Japan's ban on U.S. beef imports.

After the two-day tour, Rice will continue her Asia trip which includes South Korea and China.

(CRI.com March 19, 2005)