Japan, US discuss North Korea strategy, missile shield

TOKYO - US Defence Secretary Robert Gates and his Japanese counterpart Toshimi Kitazawa Thursday discussed a North Korea strategy amid growing US concern over Pyongyang’s development of inter-continental ballistic missiles.

They agreed to keep cooperating in dealing with North Korea, whose fatal artillery shelling of South Korea’s Yeonpyeong island in November heightened tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

During his stay in Beijing Tuesday, Gates said North Korea’s missile arsenal could present a direct threat to the US within five years.

Gates and Kitazawa were expected to have discussed the possible provision to third countries of a jointly developed sea-based missile shield system, Kyodo News reported.

A bilateral accord bars the export of the Standard Missile-3 interception system to third countries unless Japan consents to it in advance.

Also on the agenda was a controversial US Marine base on the Japanese island of Okinawa, 1,600 km southwest of Tokyo. The defence secretaries reaffirmed an accord reached in May to move the US Marine Corps’ Futenma Air Station to a sparsely populated area on Okinawa.

While Tokyo reiterates it would stick with the accord, there has been virtually no progress due to vehement opposition from locals and environmental groups.

The US and Japan were considering moving drills involving F-15 fighters from the island to Guam, Kitazawa said.

Gates also met with Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara and the two agreed to work toward deepening the US-Japan security alliance, which marked its 50th anniversary in 2010.

Gates said he looked forward to “taking stock” of the alliance with Japanese ministers “in terms of where we are and the next steps we will take”.

Maehara and Gates shared the view that the US military presence in the Asia-Pacific region had become increasingly important given the difficult security situation in the area, an unnamed Japanese official was quoted by Kyodo News as saying.

Gates expressed concerns over North Korea’s nuclear and missile programmes. The two urged Pyongyang to take concrete denuclearisation steps and expected China to play an enhanced role in resolving the nuclear standoff, the official said.

Prime Minister Naoto Kan told Gates that many incidents had taken place in Asia, and he appreciated Washington’s support.

He appeared to refer to a Chinese fishing boat’s collision with Japanese coastguard vessels near a disputed set of islets in the East Asia Sea and the subsequent arrest of the captain, which led to the worst diplomatic row in recent years between Tokyo and Beijing.

Gates arrived in Tokyo Wednesday after visiting Beijing and is to fly to Seoul Friday to conclude his East Asia trip.