Posted on 02/13/2003 3:40:01 PM PST by Pokey78
JAPAN warned North Korea yesterday that it would launch a pre-emptive strike if Tokyo found evidence that Pyongyang was about to attack with a ballistic missile. Shigeru Ishiba, the Japanese Defence Minister, said that he would be seeking parliamentary approval for “crisis legislation”, which would broaden Tokyo’s ability to act militarily. He also suggested that Japan would be interested in collaborating with the United States on a missile defence system to protect itself. “If (a missile) flies towards Japan, it is too late,” Mr Ishiba told Reuters in an interview. “Our nation will use military force as a self-defence measure if (North Korea) starts to resort to arms against Japan.” He added that Japan would regard the loading of fuel on a ballistic missile aimed at Japan as a justification for attack. Although Tokyo is restrained from using force by its constitution, Mr Ishiba, who is regarded as a hawk, said that this would be purely an act of self-defence and rejected the accusation that Tokyo would be taking action “pre-emptively”. Japan, as well as other nations in the region, is increasingly concerned about North Korea’s provocative behaviour and the growing threat it poses to its neighbours. On Wednesday, the International Atomic Energy Agency reported Pyongyang to the United Nations Security Council for breaking its commitments to suspend its nuclear weapons programme. Since October, the North Koreans have expelled UN inspectors, withdrawn from the nuclear non-proliferation treaty, and reopened a plant capable of producing plutonium, the core of a nuclear warhead. Britain believes that the North Koreans have enough fissile material for one or two nuclear warheads and may be able to produce more in the months ahead. The UN Security Council has the power to impose sanctions against North Korea for breaking its international obligations but Pyongyang has said that it would regard any measures as an act of war. The United States and the rest of the international community have insisted that they want to find a diplomatic solution to the situation. While the debate over nuclear weapons could drag on for months, ballistic missiles may pose a far more immediate threat. George Tenet, the CIA Director, said on Wednesday that North Korea had developed, but not yet tested, a three-stage version of the Taepodong 2 ballistic missile capable of hitting America’s West Coast. US intelligence reportedly detected preparations by the North Koreans to test the missile’s rocket engine last month. So far only Japan has been on the receiving end of Pyongyang’s missile tests. In 1993 North Korea fired a medium range missile which landed off the Japanese coast. In 1998 Pyongyang launched a Taepodong 1 missile over Japan, demonstrating that all of the country’s cities were within range of North Korea’s missile batteries. Mr Ishiba said that, to face the threat, he wanted Japan to cooperate with Washington on its controversial National Missile Defence (NMD) system. “To develop and deploy (NMD) is one of the major options,” he said. “Our nation should pursue this.” China is strongly opposed to National Missile Defence, which it fears would make its own nuclear weapons arsenal obsolete. It is also worried that if the missile shield is developed for Japan’s defence, it may one day be extended to the breakaway island of Taiwan. Mr Ishiba also proposed enacting new “crisis legislation” that would allow the Government to act militarily and, in some circumstances, to curb civilian rights. “This is the legislation designed to prevent war,” he said. “We must prepare so we will not be exposed to attacks.”
No, but they can borrow one of ours and make copies of it in a few days. :)
They have Patriot Systems now, but it sounds like they are interested in participating in a real ABM system.
And in going nuclear
The North Koreans are now in real trouble.
Negotiating this has got to be one of the reasons we have not acted against North Korea before.
Parts is parts.
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