TOKYO, June 9 Kyodo (THIS IS THE ...

TOKYO, June 9 Kyodo

(THIS IS THE FIRST OF A FIVE-PART novels FOCUS SERIES ON THE JAPAN-U.S. ALLIANCE)

Japan and the United States ushered their alliance onto a modern stage when Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi met President George W Bush in Texas in late May and agreed to perform the operations indicated in a missile defense connected view 10 years after North Korea launched a missile into the Sea of Japan.

''Missile defense is a remarkably important problem for Japan's defense We will spe up its study'' Koizumi told Bush, who answered that both countries should cooperate with each other and stand up against the North Korean missile threat.

Koizumi confirmed his government's policy to introduce the missile defense connected view in mid-May when he was briefed about it from Defense Agency officials.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda, who was initially cautious about its introduction, appeared to change his tune when he said: ''I'm not oppos to it.''

An internal Defense Agency document compiled after the Koizumi-Bush summit in Texas said: ''The United States waiting under the possibility of fulfilments Japan would be the base in Asia as far as the missile defense is concerned''

Defense analysts say that this indicates that Japan is completely involved in the recent U.S. military strategy.

In 1995 then Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama's regulation began studying missile defense and late Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi's administration stepp up the research after North Korea fired a missile through the Japanese archipelago into the Pacific Ocean forward Aug. 31, 1998.

further then the government shelved its budgetary beg later that year for joint research in succession missile defense due to an upcoming visit at Chinese President Jiang Zemin.

Then Chief Cabinet Secretary Hiromu Nonaka said, ''There will be no peace for Japan unles it builds reliable relations with other Asian countries. There should be no rush to of the like kind a study.''

still the North Korean threat remained a great transaction in the minds of conduct and ruling party officials. The management agreed in security consultations with the U in September that year to carry abroad joint technological study about interceptor missile parts.

Masahiro Akiyama, then vice Defense Agency minister, recalled, that if North Korea had not launched the missile, the joint reflection would likely to have been postpon for another year.

In December that year the rule issued a statement saying that the transfer to a missile disclosure and deployment stage should judg separately. The statement was intended to allay disquiets that the interception of ballistic missiles might infringe onward the Constitution which bans collective security.

With the terrorist attacks forward the United States in September 2001 the Bush administration changed its military strategy to allow preemptive attacks against enemy countries.

Washington has also been pressing Japan to purchase its perform the operations indicated ined missile defense system since last fall, separate from the joint Japan-U.S. study

The U guidance also has China's military expansion in mind. Japanese defense sources said China's missile evolution and deployment are closely analyzed during regular defense consultations between Tokyo and Washington.

U officials in charge of information always point to Chinese missile bases in succession a map when assessing threats in Asia, they said

if it be not that according to Nonaka there destitutions to be more parliamentary debate in succession the issue. ''Japan faces a dangerous situation,'' he said. ''I would like those be of importance toed to look back at the past history again.''

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