Overview
- Japan released diplomatic records on Dec. 24 confirming that on Feb. 11, 1994, U.S. Secretary of State Warren Christopher told Prime Minister Morihiro Hosokawa to prepare for a North Korea crisis.
- Christopher emphasized that Japanese cooperation would be essential if sanctions were imposed as Pyongyang resisted International Atomic Energy Agency inspections.
- The documents and contemporaneous accounts say Washington considered a maritime blockade and asked if Japan could conduct minesweeping, to which Hosokawa cited domestic legal constraints.
- Separate notes quote Hosokawa telling Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole that the Self-Defense Forces could not directly join a blockade, though Japan would support U.S. forces within the law.
- The release revisits key 1994 episodes, including North Korea’s “sea of fire” warning and the later Agreed Framework that sought to freeze parts of its nuclear program in exchange for aid.