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Japan, US to step up missile defence
JAPAN and the US will step up work on their missile defence system after North Korea said it tested an atom bomb, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said today. "To maintain the safety of the Japanese country and people and to increase the relationship of trust based on the Japan-US alliance, Japan will step up co-operation with the United States, such as on Japan-US missile defence," Mr Abe said.Japan and the US started working in earnest on a missile shield after North Korea in 1998 fired a missile over Japan's main island. The US stationed its first surface-to-air Patriot missiles in Japan after North Korea in July test-fired seven missiles in Japan's direction. Washington protects Japan by treaty as the country was stripped of its right to maintain an armed forces after defeat in World War II. US Ambassador to Japan Thomas Schieffer said Washington was ready to defend Japan, in a meeting with Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuhisa Shiozaki and Foreign Minister Taro Aso. "I assured both the chief cabinet secretary and the foreign minister that the United States is prepared to honour its commitments to its allies in Japan as well as Korea," Mr Schieffer said. Mr Shiozaki said the two countries also agreed to "stay in line with each other at the United Nations." "Ambassador Schieffer told us that the United States will carry out its responsibilities and commitments in line with the Japan-US alliance and security treaty," Mr Shiozaki said. Posted by: Steve 2006-10-09 |
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