Secretary of State John Kerry urged China to do more to put the pressure on the North Korea to curb the rising missile crisis, saying that China offered the North's "lifeline".

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In recent days North Korea decleared a missile lauching and some predicte that would happen on Monday, when when the nation celebrates the birth of founder Kim Il Sung, current leader Kim Jong Un's grandfather.

In an interview in Tokyo before going back, Kerry said that if the missiles were not fired "that would mean perhaps we're turning a corner and there's a possibility of moving in a better direction."

"Everybody understands the negative side of what happens if there is a shoot.  And my hope is that we can move in a different direction here. China, I think, is serious about this," he said. "They understand the instability this is creating."

Kerry said it was "very important" for the United States to make clear to North Korea that there would be "consequences for their action" and to reaffirm its security agreements with its allies in the region.

"That done, I think it is very important to the Chinese to focus on the fact that ... if they're not prepared to put the pressure on the North -- and they have the greatest ability to have an impact on the North -- then this can become more destabilizing," he said. "And that instability is not in China's interest, certainly. It's not in anybody's interest in the region."

"So if we're going to operate according to what's in people's interest, China's and everybody else's, I believe China needs to become more engaged in this effort," he said.

"It is obvious that China is the lifeline to North Korea. Everybody knows that China provides the vast majority of the fuel to North Korea.  China is their biggest trading party, their biggest food donor and so forth," he added.