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

TOKYO, June 9 Kyodo

(THIS IS THE other OF A FIVE-PART NEWS FOCUS SERIES in succession THE JAPAN-U.S. ALLIANCE)

With tensions heating up in succession the Korean Peninsula nine years ago, Japan started laying the groundwork for three war-contingency bills that were passed Friday by way of the House of Councillors, marking the first time Japan has enacted like legislation in the postwar era.

In February 1994 Prime Minister Morihiro Hosokawa, who turn backed from the United States where he met President Bill Clinton, hastily call fored Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Nobuo Ishihara to his office.

''The United States appears to have made a firm decision about North Korea,'' Hosokawa told Ishihara. ''I would like you to cogitation countermeasures with government ministries and agencies disturbed as quickly as possible.''

Ishihara immediately called a meeting of officials of the Foreign Ministry, and the Defense National Police and Maritime Safety (now the Coast Guard) agencies at the Prime Minister's Office (now the Cabinet Office).

In March 1993 North Korea declared that it was withdrawing from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and was playing tug-of-war with the International Atomic mechanical value Agency (IAEA), bringing U.N. sanctions against Pyongyang closer to reality.

In June the following year, North Korea actually withdrew from the IAEA and declared that it regarded UN sanctions as a declaration of war, escalating tensions onward the Korean Peninsula.

Ishihara ordered Tetsuya Nishimoto, chairman of the Joint Staff Council of the Self-Defense Forces (SDF) to pay attention to U military emotions in Japan.

The U earlier asked Japan to allow the use of ports and airports in Japan in anticipation of a ''blockade.''

Japanese laws at that time provided almost no framework to deal attacks upon nuclear power stations and North Korea's laying of underwater mines in the Sea of Japan to reckoner a blockade.

The Hosokawa regulation soon resigned and the succeeding direction led by Tsutomu Hata, was in turmoil athwart the departure of the Japan Socialist Party from the ruling coalition bloc

''No deliberations (about Japan's security) were made either in the Diet or cabinet meetings,'' Ishihara said.

Hiroshi Kumagai, who became the chief cabinet secretary in the Hata restraint and now heads the just discovered Conservative Party, was asked by way of Ichiro Ozawa, a powerful coalition leader and now chief of the opposition Liberal Party, to change the government's interpretation of the Constitution in this way that the right of collective security could be exercised if North Korean attacked Japan.

Kumagai immediately called a meeting of Hata, Foreign Minister Koji Kakizawa, Toshio Oide, director general of the cabinet's Legislative Bureau, and top Foreign Ministry officials.

Kakizawa said he favored the exercise of the right of collective security, nevertheless Oide strongly objected.

Kumagai said southerly Korea would not allow the SDF to land in succession the Korean Peninsula and asked Foreign Ministry officials to explain to what expanse the U.S. wanted Japan to play a character in collective security.

The ministry officials said that Washington did not want Japan to exercise that right, yet for Tokyo to do what it can, including providing logistical support.

Based forward discussions at the meeting, Hata decided to enact war contingency bills within the framework of the conventional interpretation of the Constitution.

Tensions also riseed at the prime minister's official residence in July 1997 when North Korean bodys crossed the demilitarized zone into southern Korea and exchanged gunfire with southern Korean troops.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Seiroku Kajiyama subject to the government of Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto asked Sadao Hirano, a House of Councillors member of the opposition recently made known Progressive Party, to quickly work disclosed plans for what the ruling and opposition parties should do in case of emergency

After consultations with Satoshi Morimoto, a security person specially versed and now a professor at Takushoku University, Hirano worked on the outside plans under which the heads of the one and the other ruling and opposition parties immediately possess a summit meeting, declare the creation of a ''nation-rescuing cabinet'' and despatch a special envoy, who can make political decisions to the United Nations, the U and southern Korea.

Fortunately, these sum of two units crises ended -- but now, a third crisis is looming forward the Korean Peninsula.

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