Posted on 06/27/2009 2:32:30 PM PDT by Jet Jaguar
SEOUL, South Korea -- North Korea threatened Saturday to shoot down any Japanese planes that enter its airspace, accusing Tokyo of spying near one of its missile launch sites.
The North has designated a no-sail zone off its eastern coast from June 25 to July 10 for military drills, raising concerns that it might test-fire short- or mid-range missiles in the coming days, in violation of a U.N. resolution.
North Korea's air force said Japan's E-767 surveillance aircraft conducted aerial espionage near the Musudan-ri missile site on its northeast coast Wednesday and Thursday.
The military "will not tolerate even a bit the aerial espionage by the warmongers of the Japanese aggression forces but mercilessly shoot down any plane intruding into the territorial air of the (North) even 0.001 mm," the air force said in a statement carried by the country's official Korean Central News Agency.
An official from Japan's Defense Ministry said the country's planes regularly gather information on North Korea but declined to comment on the types of planes used or the locations monitored. He spoke on condition of anonymity, citing government policy.
The threat against alleged Japanese aerial espionage is rare, though the North has regularly complained of U.S. spy missions in its airspace.
Japan is very sensitive to North Korea's missile programs, as its islands lie within easy range. In 1998, a North Korean missile flew over Japan's main island. Tokyo has since spent billions of dollars on developing a missile shield with the United States and has launched a series of spy satellites primarily to watch developments in North Korea.
(Excerpt) Read more at seattlepi.com ...
Does NK even have the technology to do this?
I assume the Spy Plane is a modified 767 which means it is not stealthy nor fast. I suspect NK could shoot one down fairly easily.
This would be interesting.
Japanese fighter pilots are some top notch dudes with cutting edge training and technology, with gung ho motivation levels through the roof.
NK Mig pilots. They are really good at shooting down unarmed planes.
I’d like to be able to watch this one.
You are right. But would Japan let that happen? Would they send it out without some sort of fighter escort waiting in the wings? At this point, I think not.
But only time will tell.
This is going to get testy.
In related news NK says it will destroy the entire planet if people don’t stop laughing at them....
If Japan had any balls they’d start developing nuclear weapons. Stat.
ping
What makes you think they don’t have them now?
News was about 2 years ago, the minister of defense put a shot across China’s bow.
He said something like: “If on Monday morning Japan decides to have nuclear weapons, by Friday they will be in the warehouse”.
The only people that paid attention and raised hell were the Chinese and N Koreans.
He wasn’t lying. They possess all the fundamental technologies AND the processes.
Japan went nuke, and no one noticed because it’s all dressed up nice an pretty in commercial clothes. Almost all of Japan’s electricity is nuke powered.
If you really want me to, I’ll try to go back and find the article. But take my word, after living in Japan for over 15 years, I know a thing or two about how they do business.
Watch the pilots of the 8th Tsuiki Air Wing cuts them into tiny tinfoil ribbons!!
Man, wouldn’t you like to have a ring side seat to that one?!
I still remember hearing the audio of those ba***rds when they encountered our EC-121 in international waters over the Sea of Japan.
They thought shooting down an unarmed obsolete reciprocal engine airplane out of the ‘30s was “funny”.
33 men died.
You don’t have to dig up the article. I take your word for it.
Now would be the time for them to TEST one. Nothing like showing you’ve got your back up and ready to really defend yourself than to test a nuclear weapon.
I’ve always wondered why Israel chooses a policy of “nuclear ambiguity”.
Is that possibly the current policy of Japan?
They probably have, secretly. IMHO, Taiwan should, too, if they haven’t already, and South Korea, Thailand. Let the Chinese reap what they have sown.
parsy, who figures taiwan had all those phyiscists for some reason
Japan walks a really fine line on that. Their constitution still sports article 9, that we foisted on them. That’s the clause that says Japan will never again posses an offensive weapons capacity.
Up till now, that was strictly enforced by leftists who rioted in the street any time that anyone even suggested that the SDF (self defense force) should buy new bullets.
With the changing times and the looming threat of China as a regional bully, the lefties have been relatively quiet.
Japan “testing” a nuclear device, without any real clear (in the mind of a lefty) evidence that it is needed, might cause that quiet to go away.
My opinion, and its only an opinion, is that Japan is relying on US data to create a device that needs no testing, because we here have already done it for them.
Japanese are good at that. Time will tell.
It’s tomes like these where I wish we were still flying “Sleds”.
tomes=times
Giant sling shots.
Thanks for the insight. It’s a shame that a free people aren’t allowed to openly defend themselves because of the lefties in their midst.
But I guess we’re in that situation ourselves now, with a leftie in the WH.
Now is the time for the Japanese Diet to repeal a certain clause in their constitution.
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