Japan and the United States will issue a joint statement calling for their missile-defense initiative to be accelerated after next month's ministerial security talks in Washington, it was learned Saturday.
In the joint statement, the two countries will also urge North Korea to abandon its nuclear weapons program "in a prompt and verifiable manner," the Japanese and U.S. government sources said.
In addition to the issues of missile defense and North Korea, Japan and the U.S. plan to discuss possible logistic support by the Japanese Self-Defense Forces in the event of a U.S. attack on Iraq.
They will also address measures to prevent the spread of weapons of mass destruction and issues concerning U.S. military bases in Okinawa Prefecture, the sources said.