Missile crisis highlights strong US-Japan alliance

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By David Pilling in Tokyo

Published: July 6 2006 11:35 | Last updated: July 6 2006 11:35

In 1998, when North Korea last fired a Taepodong missile in the general direction of Japan, the weaknesses of the US-Japan alliance were plain. The two sides failed to share intelligence and squabbled publicly over Pyongyang’s probable intent. This time they have been like twins, holding press conferences with virtually identical wording and proclaiming their admiration for each other’s intelligence-gathering skills.

Shinzo Abe, chief cabinet secretary and frontrunner to become Japan’s prime minister in September, said: “The difference with 1998 is that now we have a very strong alliance with the US. The US is standing by Japan. We have strong intelligence co-operation and Japan has better intelligence-gathering capabilities than it had before.”

Thomas Schieffer, US ambassador to Tokyo, said the two sides had been “in minute-by-minute contact” since the crisis erupted, “sharing information both ways at an unprecedented level”. He added: “The information that we have shared shows the depth of relations we have developed and has been to our mutual benefit.”

Richard Armitage, former deputy secretary of state, who was visiting Tokyo on Thursday, said Japan’s Aegis class destroyers tracked North Korea’s missiles and passed on excellent information to the US. On the diplomatic front, where the two have called for a stiff and united international response, he said: “From the moment we first saw missiles erected, our joint statements were a model.”

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