New Delhi: Ruling out an immediate prospect of improvement in Indo-Pak relations, Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee on January 8 asked Japan and other key countries to put "strong pressure" on Pakistan to end cross-border terrorism.

While India has made efforts to improve bilateral relations with Pakistan, many "regrettable incidents" have occurred, Vajpayee said during wide-ranging discussions with visiting Japanese Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi.

The Japanese Minister voiced serious concern over clandestine transfer of nuclear and missile technology between Pakistan and North Korea and sought India's co- operation in pressing Pyongyang to scrap its nuclear weapons development programme.

She said Japan, the US and South Korea were closely co-operating on the North Korean nuclear issue, but stressed that the solidarity of the international community was necessary to resolve the issue peacefully, officials said.

She also made it clear that if reports on the Pakistan-North Korea nuclear axis were correct, it would have a "serious impact" on Japan's bilateral relations with Islamabad.

The Prime Minister appreciated Japan's decision to provide Rs 4,400 crore in low interest loans to India.

The loans mark the first official credit to India from Japan since Tokyo lifted a four-year old freeze on foreign assistance imposed in the wake of the May 1998 Pokhran nuclear explosions.

PTI