
Prime Minister Miyazawa's Concerns about North Korea's Nuclear Program
In 1993, Prime Minister Kiichi Miyazawa expressed his concerns about the "direct threat" posed by North Korea's nuclear weapons development to U.S. officials. This occurred just one month after Pyongyang withdrew from the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT).
Miyazawa's concerns were revealed in diplomatic documents released by the Foreign Ministry on December 26th. These documents also showed that Miyazawa was seemingly the only Japanese official who took North Korea's decision to withdraw from the NPT seriously.
During his visit to Washington in April 1993, Miyazawa met with President Bill Clinton and other officials. He emphasized that the only way to dissuade North Korea would be to get China to urge Pyongyang to abandon its nuclear weapons development.
Miyazawa also met with U.S. Defense Secretary Les Aspin and General Colin Powell, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. In this top-secret meeting, Miyazawa expressed his concerns about the continued strength of the U.S. nuclear umbrella, especially in light of North Korea's potential nuclear capabilities.
Despite diplomatic efforts and later agreements, North Korea continued to develop nuclear weapons. This fact came to light in 2002, and four years later, Pyongyang conducted its first nuclear test. Economic sanctions imposed by various nations did not stop North Korea's development efforts.
The documents also record an exchange between Anthony Lake, the national security adviser, and Miyazawa. Lake questioned the possibility of building a long-term relationship with a nation like North Korea that pursued nuclear weapons development while being part of the NPT. Miyazawa responded that it was extremely difficult to stop such development through economic sanctions, citing Japan's own efforts during World War II.
An expert on North Korea's nuclear weapons development believes that Miyazawa's concerns were likely not passed on to the next administration. This, along with the failure of the Liberal Democratic Party to retain control of the government in the 1993 election, is seen as a contributing factor to the Japanese government's inept handling of the North Korean nuclear weapons crisis the following year.