Hatoyama says gov't will investigate purported secret Japan-U.S. pact+

TOKYO, Sept. 10 Kyodo -
Democratic Party of Japan President Yukio Hatoyama, who is set to become prime
minister next week, said Thursday that his administration will look into a
purported secret Japan-U.S. pact allowing U.S. military vessels carrying
nuclear weapons to stop over in Japan.

''We want to reveal the facts to the public'' when an investigation has
confirmed them, Hatoyama told reporters.
The Japanese government has denied the existence of such a pact that would
contradict the country's non-nuclear principles of not possessing, producing or
allowing nuclear weapons on its territory.
But several former government officials have made comments hinting at the
existence of such a pact.
Hatoyama intends to seek cooperation from the U.S. administration in carrying
out an investigation, which would likely be conducted both in Japan and the
United States, according to DPJ sources.
They added Hatoyama may convey the plan to U.S. President Barack Obama in a
meeting expected later this month in New York.
Earlier in the day, Hatoyama told Japanese Communist Party leader Kazuo Shii
that the new government will carry out the investigation, according to DPJ
Secretary General Katsuya Okada who was at the meeting.
Shii gave a positive response to Hatoyama's efforts to bring the issue to light
and handed the DPJ related classified documents which had once been
declassified by the U.S. government, people familiar with the meeting said.
Hatoyama is expected to instruct the Foreign Ministry to launch the probe upon
the formation of his administration. Vice Foreign Minister Mitoji Yabunaka
recently said the ministry will cooperate with the incoming administration if
requested to do so.
==Kyodo