TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan urged North Korea on Tuesday to refrain from taking provocative action and said Japan would continue to cooperate with the United States and South Korea.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, the Japanese government's top spokesman, told a news conference that North Korea should also comply with U.N. Security Council resolutions.

North Korea's space agency is readying a new satellite for launch, state media said on Monday, and also suggested Pyongyang would fire a long-range rocket around the time of a national anniversary next month.

(Reporting by Kaori Kaneko)