The conservative Yomiuri Shimbun dismissed the declaration as "mealy-mouthed" and said "less carrot, more stick" was needed in dealing with Pyongyang.

While the declaration states that the three nations have reconfirmed their policy of engagement in efforts to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula, "it makes no overt reference to North Korea," the Yomiuri said in its editorial.

"The declaration is no less vague about what should be done to scrap all nuclear weapons on the peninsula," the newspaper said.

"Questions should be raised about whether the three nations will be able to persuade North Korea to abandon its nuclear weapons program through such an approach."

The declaration's ambiguous wording showed that China and South Korea do not want to risk damaging their relations with North Korea, it added.

China, Japan and South Korea on Tuesday issued a joint declaration pledging their commitment to work toward a peaceful solution to the North Korean nuclear crisis and to strengthen economic ties.

The statement was issued after a summit between Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and South Korean President Roh Moo-Hyun on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit in Indonesia.

The Mainichi Shimbun supported the declaration, however, saying: "It is significant that the three nations strengthened their cooperation over North Korea's nuclear problem."

The newspaper called for further stabilisation of East Asia with the document serving as a foundation.

The conservative Sankei Shimbun also generally approved of the declaration, saying it was based on forward-looking views with no reference to Japan's war-time aggression in China and South Korea.

Both the Yomiuri and Sankei expressed their disappointment over the declaration's failure to mention North Korea's abduction of Japanese nationals during the Cold War years.

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