PATTAYA, Thailand — Japan's acceptance of a U.N. Security Council presidential statement in response to North Korea's April 5 rocket launch instead of a UNSC resolution stemmed largely from a policy shift by the United States, Tokyo's closest ally.
The compromise — struck between Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso and Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao during their talks Saturday in Pattaya, Thailand — led the Security Council to reach a basic accord the same day on a draft presidential statement, paving the way for official adoption as early as Monday.
Initially, the United States supported calls by Japan and South Korea for a legally binding resolution, the strongest response from the United Nations' most powerful body, for what is widely seen as a long-range ballistic missile test by North Korea.