The United States resisted the withdrawal of nuclear weapons from Okinawa before Tokyo and Washington agreed in 1969 on the prefecture's reversion to Japan, insisting nuclear capabilities were necessary to deter North Korea, newly declassified Japanese diplomatic documents showed Wednesday.
The papers confirmed the U.S. stance on removing nuclear weapons from U.S. bases in Okinawa, which has been widely known. The two countries agreed in November 1969 on the return of Okinawa to Japan without nuclear weapons.