The Korean and Syrian crises have been high on the agenda for foreign ministers from the G8 group of nations, who have been meeting in London.
Correspondents say Japan, present at the talks, is looking for a strong statement of solidarity over Korea.
North Korea has been making bellicose threats against South Korea, Japan and US bases in the region.
The G8 ministers also pledged to work to end sexual violence in conflict, a "priority" for the UK hosts.
The Group of Eight nations comprises the US, Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Canada and Russia.
Britain currently holds the rotating chairmanship of the G8 and the talks are a prelude to the annual G8 summit later this year in Northern Ireland.
At the end of the morning session at Lancaster House, UK Foreign Secretary William Hague said there had been "intense discussions about Syria, the DPRK (North Korea), Iran and North Africa as you would expect".
But he said the ministers had also pledged "to work together to end sexual violence in conflict", which he said was his own "personal priority" for the talks.
A broader communique on the talks will be issued later in the day.
Missile threatThe BBC's diplomatic correspondent James Robbins says ministers agree that the combination of warlike threats from North Korea and preparations for new missile tests amount to dangerous provocation.
Musudan missile
- The Musudan, also known as the Nodong-B or the Taepodong-X, is an intermediate-range ballistic missile. Its likely targets are Okinawa, Japan, and US bases in the Pacific
- Range estimates differ dramatically. Israeli intelligence suggests 2,500km, while the US Missile Defense Agency estimates 3,200km; other sources put the upper limit at 4,000km
- These differences are due in large part to the fact that the missile has never been tested publicly, according to the Center for Nonproliferation Studies. Its payload is also unknown
"There is no disagreement with the United States over North Korea," Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said at a meeting with US Secretary of State John Kerry in London on Wednesday.
South Korea has raised its alert level amid indications that the North is preparing for a missile test.
Pyongyang has moved two Musudan missiles to its east coast. Estimates of the ballistic missile's range vary, but some suggest it could be as high as 4,000km (2,500 miles).
A missile therefore has the potential of hitting US bases on Guam, although it is not known whether the Musudan has been tested before.
There is also no evidence the North has miniaturised a nuclear weapon sufficiently to be used on a ballistic missile.
Correspondents point to Monday - the birthday of North Korea's founder Kim Il-sung - as a potential launch date.
North Korea has increased its fiery rhetoric following fresh UN sanctions imposed after its third nuclear test and joint military manoeuvres by the US and South Korea.
Key North Korean anniversaries
- 11 April - Kim Jong-un elected first secretary of the Workers' Party and late father Kim Jong-il named General Secretary for Eternity in 2012
- 13 April - Kim Jong-un appointed first chairman of the National Defence Commission in 2012
- 15 April - Birthday of state founder Kim Il-sung (1912-1994)
The North says it will restart a mothballed nuclear reactor, has shut an emergency military hotline to the South and has urged countries to withdraw diplomatic staff, saying it cannot now guarantee their safety.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has been among those calling for calm on the peninsula.
In Washington on Wednesday, US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel said North Korea was "skating very close to a dangerous line", adding: "Their actions and their words have not helped defuse a combustible situation.''
However, in the past few days North Korea's media appear to be in more of a holiday mood, as Kim Il-sung's birthday on Monday approaches.
Humanitarian assistanceAt a press conference at the end of the morning session, Mr Hague said the ministers had agreed on plans to tackle "the horrific use of rape and sexual violence as a weapon of war in conflicts around the globe", which he described as "one of the greatest and most persistent injustices in the world".
Mr Hague said the G8 had "committed to the development of a comprehensive international protocol on the investigation and documentation of rape and sexual violence in conflict".
The UN special envoy for refugees, Angelina Jolie, said that wartime rape should not be regarded as inevitable, saying: "It can be prevented and must be confronted."
She said she welcomed the "long overdue stance of the G8".
"Finally have some hope to offer victims," she said.
The issue of Syria is likely to divide the G8 more than North Korea, our correspondent says, with no-one expecting Damascus's ally Russia to join others in backing punitive action against President Bashar al-Assad.
Fresh evidence of links between some opposition fighters and al-Qaeda makes it even harder for governments to decide a course of action, our correspondent adds.
The G8 ministers met Syrian opposition figures on Wednesday on the sidelines of the two-day forum.
Leaders of the opposition Syrian National Coalition (SNC) reportedly pressed for more humanitarian assistance.
Mr Kerry, however, stressed the importance of the opposition becoming better organised, a senior US official told reporters.
More than 60,000 people are estimated to have died since the uprising against the government of President Assad began in March 2011.
The London talks are also the first chance for G8 ministers to discuss face-to-face the failure of last week's meeting in Almaty, Kazakhstan, on curbing Iran's nuclear programme.
Tehran says it only wants to produce energy but the US and its allies suspect it is trying to develop a nuclear weapon.
Burma, Somalia and cyber-security are also topics on the agenda.
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