The Dong-A reports that Japan is apparently playing around with the idea of preemptive strikes:
The Japanese Defense Research Center has asserted that Japan should be equipped with the ability to start an assault in order to prepare for missile launches from North Korea.
In a report titled “2004 East Asia Military Strategies” issued by the research center on March 24, it said that “North Korea will get ready to manufacture more than two uranium enriched nuclear bombs next year,” suggesting the logic of a preemptive strike.
This is the first time a Japanese governmental agency has dealt with the subject of a preemptive strike, officially. As this assertion is directly opposite to the principle of the Japanese constitution, which was designed in accordance with the self-defense rule, heated conflict is being expected.
The Dong-A explained:
In addition, the report points out that North Korea is one of the Japan’s intimidators because it is equipped with 175 to 200 ballistic missiles including the Rodong, which can cover 1,300 kilometers together with not only nuclear warheads but also chemical ones.
“Without any other means to wipe out these intimidations if the enemy starts assaulting, we should be equipped with devices to get rid of these intimidations such as missile posts in enemy territory,” stated this report, focusing on the importance of re-armament for the sake of preemptive strike ability.
The boys at the KCNA are going to have a field day with this one.
21 Comments
The thought occured to me that lately KCNA has been blowing so much smoke over the Ammendment to the Law on Foreign Exchange and how Japan is preparing for an offensive strike that it’s becoming a little like the boy who cried wolf. Nobody is going to take it seriously, even in North Korea. Between tirades over the ammendment, and the joint exercises (where the US is ready to “start war at any moment”), people must be tuning out. They’ve been listening to cries of impending doom for 50 years now. And this is something that they’d actually be justified in having concern over…
Isn’t the KCNA embarrased to post their ridiculous news stories (stories being the operative word there)online for view by the outside world? It’s one thing to feed that to their own captive (another operative word) audience. But to those who know better? I’ve never seen so little said with so many words!
i wonder if we can blame Noh for failing to solve the north korea problem and causing Japan to re-militarize. nah.. too easy.
I say bring it on! The Japan of today is not the Japan of the first half of the 20th century. I am all for Japan’s rearmament in spite of what the Koreas and China think.
Don’t worry about Japan being unequipped. They are working on perfecting Battle Mech technology at this very moment:
http://story.news.yahoo.com/ne.....esr_photo0
Japan will do all that and more. China, not North Korea, is the motivation behind it all and the Chinese have miscalculated the Japanese resolve to carry out long-term planning that will take them far from the comfort zone of many.
I do believe Japan has, for several years now, been the No. 2 military spender in the world (under the guise of peaceful self-defense, of course).
The norks just couldnt leave well enough alone, Japan has been minding its own buisness, heeding its constitution that the US helped them write, not bothering anybody, and the norks had to keep poking the happy fun ball. The Japan of today may not be like the Japan of yesterday but we all remember what they were like from history, if they are motivated into action they WILL NOT be stopped. Japan has only been defeated by one country in its entire history, and we had to NUKE them to stop them, and now they are a technological super power, i mean lets face facts, they put us to shame when it comes to the digital age.
The thought of a Japan of tommorow that is slightly paranoid of nearby nations, Technoligicly unmatched, motivated, rich, friends with the worlds last superpower, and maybe just maybe feeling the need to relieve thier old glory one last time…. This should scare the hell out of the rest of Asia(and the rest of the world).
Nice million man strong army China, the Gundams will appreciate the target practice it provides them.
Ronin,
the USA has nuked Japan, because they thought a conventional invasion of the Japanese archipelago would result in a high death toll. Some critics go as far to say, that the US government wanted to test the A-bomb in real battle and simultanely show Stalin who’s boss now.
The Chinese armed forces might have too much ill-equipped, obsolete manpower, but they’re rapidly purchasing cutting-edge Russian weaponry plus technology transfer. Nobody knows their real military budget, but some estimates are hovering about 25-30 billion US-$. The power projection capabilities of an full-fledged Japanese army, navy and air force would be immense (they have already a military spending budget of about 42 billion US-$), but in a case of conflict, the Chinese would have the most horrifying answer: showing the Japanese their intercontinental ballistic missiles with A-bomb or H-bomb warheads. With the ROK military budget of 16-17 billion US-$, the South Koreans have to worry about a openly re-militarizing Nippon.
sugar,
we nuked japan to warn Russia that we aren’t afraid to use nukes. we used the excuse that it was to save American lives. the Russians were sending waves of troops east to the coast of Russia near japan at the time.
also, the Russians aren’t selling china their good stuff (top of the line). what they are selling china is also stripped down versions of their weapons.
i doubt we have anything to worry about with a re-militarized japan. i think it would actually be a good thing considering china’s rapidly developing military. we need a counter balanced Asian power and one that has proven it can fight well. not to mention japan is the most technologically superior Asian country.
I have always wondered what would happen if Japan started making and exporting weapons; imagine easy to use, dead reliable weapons (pun intended).
The Norks really pissed in the chigae with Japan over the kidnapping debacle. Had they simply accepted the fact there was no way Japan would ever return them they would have “normal” relations with Japan and mountains of cash and aid. Now the Dear Leader’s cash supply is shut off and he ain’t too happy.
The Japanese are tired of Korea and China bashing and blaming. China has no place telling anybody about human rights and Korea uses Japan as a scapegoat.
Ain’t it all just grand?
The bombs were dropped to end the war. The American public was tired of war and the estimates of casualities for an invasion were staggering. Along with that, there were considerations of what Russia would do.
A good read on this comes from Frank Sackton, Professor Emeritus from Arizona University, the former aid to General McArthur as well as many other important positions in government.
His thoughts can be found here: http://www.azcentral.com/arizo.....n0727.html
A bio of Frank Sackton here: http://www.asu.edu/alumni/visi.....ton28.html
http://english.chosun.com/w21d.....70001.html
how can the people sleep at night? maybe by rooting out the communists from the universities and the press for starters…
The evil communists from the major leading newspapers like Chosun, JoongAng and Dong-A?
Chief Cabinet Secretary Fukuda floated the concept of pre-emptive attack a few years ago, the operative word in the above article being “official”. You only need to look at their defense programs of recent years to see force projection been a goal: aerial refuelling tankers, AWACS, data links, F-2 strike aircraft, aircraft carriers (called “large cruisers” or some such), etc.
Lets face it the Bush unilateralism and its falling poll figures and trouble occupation of iraq have definitely raised the threshold for future attacks on ‘axis of evil’ states including NK. Japan may have a formidable and modern military but the still strong reluctance to get involved in near combat situations as demonstrated by Spanish-like levels of opposition to deployment in Iraq, will make it difficult for the ASDF to launch pre-emptive attacks on NK.
There’s only one nation that does not have nuclear weapons that (under applicable treaties) legitimately has plutonium stocks for nuclear energy (that could very quickly be used in weapons): Japan. They send their spent fuel (like most of the world) to France for reprocessing, but unlike most of the rest (hint: aside from Permanent Security Council Members) get it back as plutonium, very near to weapons grade.
With the strong silent consent of the U.S. Guess we really do feel bad about that big nasty nuking, and aren’t going to leave them with their pants down when things get ‘interesting’ in that neck of the woods again, as they will at some point (given enough time that is).
So yes, the Japanese are the silent number 2 ’superpower in waiting’, merely lacking heavy lift force projection (which would be easy for them to build, unlike most other second tier or lower powers) and nukes. Oh and ICBM’s, but they’ve stuck stuff in orbit now so that’s mere engineering.
Wonder why all those anime have Americans and Japanese as the capitalist masters in the future, with a generally high level of uniformity between them? Hint: the Empire was fairly recently a tribal culture, only recently with it’s attendant pride/shame reflexes transfered to the nationalistic level. What does such a culture do when defeated? Adopt the attributes of the enemy to ’steal their strength’. Which is why (on the surface!) Japan seems like some hyper-American parody, at least visually.
Strange days ahead indeed.
The Japanese deserved both of them atomic bombs. The only reason Japan has achieved such success is because America has paid for her rebuilding after the war and its defense for the past 5 decades. I think America should pull out of Japan and let them fend for themselves. Do you reall think these softie Japanese men can take over the region again? I think not! The youth are too busy with the latest fasion, haircut, and ninetendo game. I see these scrawny effeminate Japanese tourists here all over Hawaii. I just don’t see how they could put up much of a fight.
“The Japanese deserved both of them atomic bombs.”
Pearl Harbor or not, I beg to differ. This was NOT the purpose for using the bomb; the US was NOT playing the role of Karmic Equalizer. The decision to drop the bombs was made in order to end the war as quickly as possible with a minimum of friendly losses.
Your post is an insult to a lot of dead women and babies and if you want to see how much of a fight those little Japanese guys will put up, why don’t you try telling them that their ancestors “deserved both of them atomic bombs.”
Justin, the dead women and babies you should be talking to are the ones from Nanking. Imagine the conversation you’d have with the woman that were repeatedly raped then murdered and the innocent babies that were tossed into the air to be caught on Japanese bayonets. I wonder what they’d say?!
Is this the only way you can stand by your statement? Weak. Tasteless. And either illogical or really rascist. Whatever. You can win this time, and I decline all future matches.