Japan today pushed for a vote this week on its UN Security Council resolution imposing weapons-related sanctions on North Korea, despite China's threat to veto the draft.
"We are not ready to spend a lot of time on these negotiations," Japan's UN Ambassador Kenzo Oshima said.
"Our position is to have the decision ... by the end of the week." Mr Oshima and US Ambassador John Bolton told reporters consultations were still going on with Russia and China on their rival, milder draft resolution introduced on Wednesday in response to North Korea's seven missile tests last week.
Still, the 15-member council could face a show down on Friday or Saturday if no agreement is reached.
China, one of five permanent members with veto power, reaffirmed again on Thursday it would "vote no Japan has said it wants a council vote when the Group of 8 leading industrial countries meet in St Petersburg, Russia, beginning on Saturday.
Mr Bolton said he wanted to give Russia and China time to "explain their texts, differences and weaknesses compared to ours, and take that into account."
He also said he had spoken to China's UN Ambassador Wang Guangya about Beijing's high-level talks in Pyongyang but there was no news.
"So it looks to me like Pyongyang's intransigent attitude remains unchanged and if that is the case, I think dealing with these missile launches and the nuclear program impels us to move to a vote sooner rather than later," Mr Bolton said."
But Mr Wang, who said he still hoped for a successful outcome to the Pyongyang talks, told reporters it was important to maintain council unity and hoped a compromise could be found in the next few days.
Mr Wang stood by his earlier objections to the Japanese draft: its declaration that the missile tests threatened international peace and security and the fact that it imposed mandatory sanctions on North Korea's missile and nuclear programs and invoked Chapter 7 of the UN Charter, which Beijing fears could lay the groundwork for military action.