Japan today threatened to shoot down a satellite that North Korea plans to launch early next month if it shows any signs of striking its territory.
Tokyo's warning that it would deploy its multibillion-dollar missile defence system raised tensions in the region after North Korea said that it had identified a potential "danger area" near Japanese territory along the rocket's flight path.
The regime told the International Maritime Organisation that the missile would be launched during daylight between 4 and 8 April, and that its boosters would fall into the Sea of Japan – about 75 miles (120km) from Japan's north-west coast – and the Pacific Ocean.
Officials in Tokyo said they reserved the right to destroy any threatening object in mid-flight, despite North Korean warnings that it would consider such a move an act of war.
"Under our law, we can intercept any object if it is falling towards Japan, including any attacks on Japan, for our security," Takeo Kawamura, the chief cabinet secretary, told reporters.
Despite repeated assurances from Pyongyang that the rocket is a vital part of North Korea's space programme, other countries in the region suspect the hardware is a Taepodong-2 ballistic missile.
South Korean intelligence has reported a build-up of activity in recent days near the missile's launch pad at Musudan-ri base on its neighbour's north-east coast.
Any missile launch, even one intended to put a satellite into orbit, would represent a snub to the US administration, which has repeatedly invited the communist state to return to negotiations over its nuclear weapons programme.
Last month the US secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, urged the north to cancel the launch, which US officials say would be in violation of a 2006 UN security council resolution.
The South Korean foreign ministry said in a statement: "If North Korea goes ahead with the launch, we believe there will be discussions and a response by the security council on the violation of the resolution."
The UN secretary-general, Ban Ki-moon, said a missile or satellite launch would "threaten the peace and stability in the region."
After Japan's transport ministry ordered airlines and shipping companies operating in the area to take precautionary measures, Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airways said they would alter flight paths on several European and other routes.
Speculation has been mounting for weeks that North Korea was about to put its hitherto unreliable missile technology to the test. The regime suffered a setback in 2006 when a Taepodong-2 missile – theoretically capable of reaching Alaska – blew up moments into its flight.
Japan has intensified efforts to protect itself against conventional missile attacks since 1998, when the north test-launched a long-range rocket over its territory without warning.
In response, Japan and the US have jointly developed a ballistic missile defence system that includes interceptor missiles on board ships and Patriot missiles dotted around Tokyo.
But experts believe that a rocket capable of launching a satellite into orbit may be too high to intercept.
7 comments:
I have heard it said before that N. Korea is a nation "much like a mouse being backed into a corner. Even if it can't stand up to a superpower, it'll still bite". Kim Il is a really potential threat to Japan, and I think it's necessary for Japan to defend itself and warn N. Korea prior to any actions.
If open conflict does happen, I don't look forward to a war with them - although if the US were to mobilize for war whole-heartedly, we would boost the economy to where we want it to go.
N. Korea would be a different kind of enemy than common terrorists - smarter, in some aspects. Not cool.
How can national security not be America's number one issue. It's not like the economy or civil rights matter if we all die to nuclear holocaust. It's impossible to imagine humans persisting forever without nuclear holocaust, the only thing we can do is create the technology so that we can save as much of society and our developments as we an when it does occur.
I think that Japan and the US are in the right. If N Korea failed before why take the chance of it happening again. N Korea should think to themselves "is it really worth it?"
This is really scary; it seems like a modern Cold War in Asia. I understand why Japan and the US want to prevent North Korea from launching a weapons program, but I can't help but see similarities between this conflict and conflicts of the past. Germany after WWI and WWII faced huge reparations as well has humiliation. The US should tread very softly and look at the pros and cons of being involved with other countries business. As a 1st world country the US has the responsibility to watch and take care of other nations, but the US should be very careful not to seem like an international police force. Our country has enough to deal with from the war in Iraq to our economy.
Well this has come at a great time. We have a new President, who has zero military experience, and now we have a potential threat to our national security coming from Nuc-Happy North Korea. And, by the way, our defense mechanisms may not work against it because it may be too high to shoot down. Since we didn't prepare for people to launch crap at us on the way to space.
Whoot. Would anybody else like to wish the Japanese-U.S. counter effort some luck?
Please Japan...thats all i have to say. Kim jong whats his face shouldnt be allowed to say anything about other countries threatening to do things like this. Especialy when its only satelites put in place for defence. if anything NK should be made to deal with a different countries shananagins every month. ill start making the line up. Till then NK can take a little of its own medicine.
Oh, how lovely- missle war between two asian countries at the brink of beginning. What's new? This is truly a scary situation. I'm not sure how likely it is that these threats of missle launchings will actually occur but it should without doubt be a new stress we add to this world and life.
Post a Comment