Koizumi Says No Firm Evidence North Korea Has Nuclear Missiles

Friday, June 20, 2003

(1:07 AM ET)

Bloomberg

Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi said his administration doesn't have conclusive evidence that North Korea is capable of launching nuclear missiles.

``We aren't in a situation where we can reach a definitive conclusion,'' Koizumi said. ``We have received all kinds of reports, but I can't delve into details.''

Koizumi made the remarks to a group of reporters after the Sankei newspaper said U.S. intelligence officials told Japan in March that North Korea possesses several nuclear warheads for long- range ballistic missiles.

There are concerns North Korea may begin to mass-produce the warheads, weighing between 750 and 1,000 kilograms (1,650 to 2,200 pounds), Sankei said, citing unidentified officials involved in U.S.-Japan relations.

While U.S. government officials have been saying publicly that the communist country may have nuclear weapons, they haven't specified what type of weapons they suspect the country has.

The U.S. Central Intelligence Agency Director George Tenet told the Senate Armed Services Committee in February that North Korea may have ``one or two plutonium-based devices.''

The officials cited by Sankei didn't disclose how the U.S. government obtained its information on the warheads.

North Korea, which in April test-fired a short-range, surface- to-ship missile, may now have about 100 ballistic missiles able to target Japan, the paper said.
(Source: Bloomberg.com)
2003 © Bloomberg L.P.

Dan