Diplomatic Documents in 1994 Declassified

Ministry for Foreign Affairs declassified in December 2025, diplomatic documents in 1994. The documents revealed tense discussion over North Korea, which was developing its nuclear capability, by Japan and the Unite States. Japanese leaders exchanged their views over Taiwan with the leaders of People’s Republic of China. They represent instability of international relations in post-Cold War era.

Prime Minister of Japan, Morihiro Hosokawa, made a visit to the U.S. in February1994. According to the reports on declassified documents, Secretary of State for Bill Clinton administration, Warren Christopher, who were in the summit meeting, noticed Hosokawa that Japan needed to consider “contingency’ over North Korea which had a plan for developing nuclear weapon.

 

It indicated that the U.S was serious about a possibility of North Korea to take unpredictable actions. Christopher warned Hosokawa that North Korea was too rigorous to accept safeguard measures of International Atomic Energy Agency, requiring Japan’s cooperation on this issue. Hosokawa ordered his staff to consider necessary measures right after getting back to Japan. Those discussion over North Korea are regarded as causing later legal measures on security, including contingency laws or revision of the guidelines for defense cooperation between Japan and the U.S.

 

It was also disclosed that Hosokawa promised to the majority leader in the Senate, George Mitchell, and the minority leader, Bob Dole, that Japan would never possess nuclear weapons in a foreseeable future. “Allergy against nuclear weapon among Japanese people is extremely strong as a nation of a country having suffered from nuclear bombs,” said Hosokawa to those Senate leaders.

 

In a meeting of foreign ministers of Japan and China in January, 1994, China warned Japan that it would not tolerate exchange of high-class officials between Japan and Taiwan. Chinese foreign minister, Qian Qichen, told his Japanese counterpart, Tsutomu Hata, that China would not allow mutual visits in minister-level, while he would not care about visits for private businesses. It was considered at the time that Minister of International Trade and Industry, Hiroshi Kumagai, would visit Taiwan. The episode indicates that China has been very careful about Taiwan’s international status.

 

Prime Minister Hosokawa was replaced by Tomiichi Murayama, the leader of Socialist Party, in June 1994. Receiving request from U.S. President Clinton, Murayama decided in September to send members of Japan Self-defense Force to Rwanda, where a civil war caused large number of refugees to its neighbor countries.

 

Although the Socialist Party of Japan was strictly negative on sending troops to overseas, Murayama answered to Clinton that Japan would make utmost efforts to contribute to settle one of the worst humanitarian problems in the world. It made Murayama the first prime minister of Japan who sent the Self-defense Force to a foreign country based on Peace-keeping Operation Cooperation Act legislated in 1992.

 

Those declassified documents proved that Japan’s current foreign policies were based on some decisions in 1990’s. The U.S. has been warning Japan on nuclear programs of North Korea and China was noticing Japan about its seriousness on Taiwan. It was a leftist administration that expanded Japan’s security cooperation in overseas. The question is whether Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi can handle Japan’s foreign policies compatible with its history.

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