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NUKEWARS
US promises S. Korea all military resources
by Staff Writers
Seoul (AFP) March 18, 2013


Japan seizes nuclear-related materials from N. Korea cargo
Tokyo (AFP) March 18, 2013 - Japan has seized aluminium alloy rods which can be used to make nuclear centrifuges from a Singapore-flagged ship which was carrying cargo from North Korea, a government spokesman said Monday.

The five rods were discovered on the ship during its call at Tokyo port last August and were confirmed to be aluminium alloy through tests conducted over the past six months, said Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga.

"The aluminium alloy is extremely strong and can be used in centrifuges, that are products related to nuclear development," Suga told a regular news briefing.

The rods had been stored at a private warehouse and the Japanese government ordered the firm Monday to hand them over.

It was the first such handover under a special law passed in 2010 to enable Tokyo to inspect North Korea-related ships suspected of carrying materials that could be used in nuclear and missile programmes.

According to media reports, the ship was on its way to Myanmar when it arrived in Tokyo via the Chinese port of Dalian.

The spokesman confirmed the ship arrived via Dalian but said only that the cargo was bound for a "third country".

The North has conducted three nuclear weapons tests, in 2006, 2009 and last month, and disclosed in 2010 that it is developing a programme to enrich uranium using centrifuges.

Such a programme would give it a second way to produce material for atomic weapons, in addition to its longstanding plutonium programme.

United Nations sanctions resolutions require member states to inspect cargo suspected to be linked to the North's nuclear development.

Myanmar was suspected of pursuing military and nuclear cooperation with North Korea during long years of junta rule which ended in 2011 in the Southeast Asian state.

But the White House said last November the nation had taken "positive steps" to reduce its military relationship with the North.

US Deputy Defense Secretary Ashton Carter on Monday promised to provide South Korea with every military resource under the US nuclear umbrella at a time of heightened tensions with North Korea.

Carter was in Seoul on the second leg of a four-nation tour of US allies and partners in Asia including Japan, the Philippines and Indonesia.

"We remain steadfast to our commitment to extended deterrence offered by the US nuclear umbrella," Carter said after talks with South Korean Defence Minister Kim Kwan-Jin.

"We'll ensure all of our resources will be available to our alliance," he was quoted as saying by Yonhap news agency.

Carter's visit came just days after the United States announced it would bolster defences against a possible North Korean missile strike in response to Pyongyang's threat of a "pre-emptive" nuclear attack.

In Washington, the Pentagon made a point of mentioning a recent training flight of a B-52 bomber over South Korea, saying it underlined America's determination to defend Seoul.

On March 8, the B-52, from Andersen Air Force base in Guam, flew over South Korea as part of a military exercise dubbed "Foal Eagle," spokesman George Little told reporters.

"The B-52 Stratofortress can perform a variety of missions including carrying precision-guided conventional or nuclear ordnance," he said.

Little said similar B-52 flights would continue despite budget pressures and that Washington deemed them more important than ever given recent tensions on the Korean peninsula.

Although he acknowledged the training flights were not new, Little said: "We're drawing attention to the fact that we have extended deterrence capabilities that we believe are important to demonstrate in the wake of recent North Korean rhetoric."

The United States unveiled plans on Friday to bolster missile defenses in light of the threat posed by North Korea.

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel announced that 14 more interceptors would be stationed in Alaska, increasing by almost half the 30 already deployed along the California and Alaska coastlines.

Hagel said the defence upgrade was designed to "stay ahead of the threat" from North Korea, which is still believed to be years from having a missile capable of carrying a nuclear warhead to the continental United States.

Military tensions on the Korean peninsula have escalated dramatically since the North conducted its third nuclear test last month.

Pyongyang responded to the subsequent UN sanctions with threats of "all-out war" backed by nuclear weapons.

Some lawmakers in Seoul have suggested it is time for South Korea to develop its own nuclear deterrent, rather than relying on the US umbrella.

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Related Links
Learn about nuclear weapons doctrine and defense at SpaceWar.com
Learn about missile defense at SpaceWar.com
All about missiles at SpaceWar.com
Learn about the Superpowers of the 21st Century at SpaceWar.com






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