Japan launches probe of secret pacts with US

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TOKYO, Sept 25 (AP): Japan's new government launched an investigation Friday into whether previous administrations entered secret security pacts with Washington, including one said to endorse US nuclear-armed ships despite a policy of barring such weapons.
The Democratic Party of Japan, which unseated the long-ruling Liberal Democrats in parliamentary elections last month, has vowed to improve transparency in government as well as review military ties with the US.
Japan's previous governments have always denied secret deals, but some bureaucrats have recently said that long-standing speculation that they existed is correct, prompting new Foreign Minister Katsuya Okadato to launch an inquiry.