Posted on 02/09/2016 2:10:54 PM PST by SeekAndFind
Tokyo has ordered ballistic missile defense units in the Sea of Japan and onshore to shoot down any North Korean missile that would threaten its territory.
Japan's Defense Ministry said on Wednesday that it would destroy any North Korean missile if it threatened to fall on its territory, after Pyongyang announced it planned to launch a space rocket this month.
"Today the defense minister issued an order" to destroy such a missile if it "is confirmed that it will fall on Japanese territory," the Japanese ministry said in a statement.
Defense Minister Gen Nakatani, who issued the order, cited the "possibility that North Korea will launch a missile it calls a 'satellite' within coming days."
North Korea notified UN agencies on Tuesday that it is launching an earth observation satellite sometime between February 8 and 25.
Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said his administration would work with the United States and others to urge North Korea to refrain from the launch.
South Korea also urged its northern neighbor to immediately call off the plan, saying it is in violation of UN Security Council resolutions. Seoul warned that North Korea would pay a "severe price" if it goes on with the plan.
China, which is viewed as one of the main backers of the government on Pyongyang, has also raised concerns about the launch, calling on North Korea to exercise restraint.
Tokyo's Wednesday order, which will be effective until February 25, will be carried out by Japan's ballistic missile defense system, the Japanese Defense Ministry said. The system which is stationed aboard warships includes PAC-3 surface-to-air anti-ballistic missiles, and similar SM-3 systems.
They need anti-missile weapons NOW.
BANZI!!!!!!
Oh noess! J F'N Kerry will no doubt dash off a sternly worded letter soon.
The Aegis / SM-3 combo was what the US Navy used to shoot down that dying reconnaissance satellite a few years ago. It is likely that Japan already has that capability, if not more.
North Korea has the 4th or 5th largest army in the world. Not all that well equipped they are not insignificant. If they decide to start a war it will be bad.
Perhaps you find the deaths of millions to be funny.
Im pretty sure Japan has Aegis.
Maybe soon Obama can count as his many achievements a war between North Korea and Japan. If Obama gets any more successful, the world will go up in flames.
Someone piss in your Wheaties this morning?
Japan definitely has Aegis. They have been on several missile shoots off Kauai hitting ballistic missile targets in the last few years.
Was this related in any way to the 5% drop in the NIKKEI 225 today?
Smells like bluster to me. With ballistic missiles, you generally cannot tell where it is headed until it is close to its apogee (highest point). If they didn't shoot down the last one on its way up, then this is likely an empty promise. Shooting one down on its way down is much tougher and riskier, I would think.
BONSAI!!!
Bomb them with Hondas.
That’s what Toyota can do with all those Scions now that they’re abandoning the brand!
Some of their naval vessels are based on our Arleigh Burke destroyer design. They carry Aegis gear, though I'm not sure if the systems are updated to the level that allowed a satellite intercept. With the Japanese government making these comments, I suspect they're up to the task.
Shooting it down if it looks like it’ll hit Japan won’t help Japan if the missile carries an EMP-tuned nuke (which DOESN’T have to be that large, and definitely NOT thermonuclear) that it detonated near Japan on its way up (i.e. before you can tell where it is going).
The Norks and the Iranians are working on EMP weapons, folks. It is the only way that they can defeat a modern Western nation - and specifically the US. It is the ultimate in assymetric warfare, and we are not prepared for it in any significant way.
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