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Japan may buy N Korea's missile site photos from US

TOKYO: Japan, worried by the potential military threat from North Korea, said on Thursday it was considering buying satellite imagery of North Korea's missile test site from a private U.S. firm.

Top government spokesman Mikio Aoki said Japan's Defence Agency might buy satellite photos of North Korea's Taepodong missile test site taken in November to analyse the reclusive Stalinist state's missile programme.

"I understand the the Defence Agency is considering buying the photos," Aoki told a news conference.

In November, Colorado-based Space Imaging took satellite pictures of the North Korean missile site and started to commercialise previously top-secret spy satellite imagery.

In the past such images have been seen only by U.S. government officials with security clearances, but now anyone can buy them from a private firm with a satellite that can take detailed pictures.

Earlier this week, the Federation of American Scientists (FAS), a public policy group focused on national security issues, bought photos of the North Korean missile test site and posted them on its Web site www.fas.org for the world to see.

FAS officials said the North Korea photos appeared to show a fairly primitive facility, but U.S. defence and intelligence officials warned against downplaying the threat from North Korea.

North Korea stunned the world by test-firing a medium-range Taepodong-1 missile in August 1998 that flew over Japan and landed in the Pacific.

The surprise launch of the missile prompted Japan to halt food aid, suspend charter flights to Pyongyang and broke off talks on establishing diplomatic ties with North Korea.

Western defence analysts believe North Korea was developing a Taepodong-2 missile, which could possibly put Alaska or Hawaii within striking distance.

Last summer, North Korea appeared to be making preparations for a second launch but agreed in September to refrain while engaged in talks with the United States over attempts to improve relations.-Reuters