The Japanese government under then-Prime Minister Morihiro Hosokawa faced trouble dealing with a strong U.S. request for support during the 1994 North Korea nuclear crisis, according to newly disclosed diplomatic records.
The Hosokawa government had to respond to the assistance call by the United States, which was taking account of the options of imposing economic sanctions on and destroying nuclear facilities in North Korea. But at the same time it had to abide by legal restrictions on the use of force.
Following North Korea¡¯s exit from the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty in 1993, Bill Clinton, then U.S. president, was considering a maritime blockade and limited use of force while continuing negotiations to have Pyongyang drop its nuclear ambition, according to the records, released on Wednesday.
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