U.S. wants Tokyo, Seoul to aid missile defense against N. Korea

The U.S. government has offered Japan a proposal to establish an information-sharing system that would complement a missile defense system, which could be jointly operated by Tokyo, Washington and Seoul to combat a North Korean missile threat, according to government sources.

The specifics of the proposal include a plan to immediately share information among the three nations regarding a missile launch that would be detected by South Korean radar. The U.S. initiative is aimed at creating an even more effective missile defense shield among the three countries.

According to Japanese government sources, U.S. National Security Adviser Susan Rice proposed the plan to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe when she accompanied U.S. President Barack Obama during Obama’s visit to Japan in late April. Abe reacted positively to the plan.

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