N Korean missile tests spook U.S. base neighbors in Japan, but what to do?

Just another blackmail threat from North Korea to get economic aid and humanitarian aid from Japan, U.S and UN and to force South Korea to agree to unification talks.

Given how the the UN and Japan feels about nuclear abolition, they will quietly appease to North Korea demands until the next round of missile tests and nuclear weapons tests with ever increasing demands.

Well from another article on JT:

France's Delattre said "quick action" and "strong additional sanctions" are needed in response to North Korea's nuclear and ballistic missile programs, including two recent successful ICBM tests.

"This is not a regional threat any more. It is a global threat and we take it very seriously," he said.

This stacks the answer towards "yes" NATO would likely be involved.

pacintToday  06:12 am JST

NATO has no obligations to non-members and since Japan is far from the Atlantic. Some member nations might act on their own.

Recall what NATO means NA = North Atlantic.

Last I checked Afghanistan was pretty far away from the Atlantic as well.

http://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/topics_8189.htm

NATO has no obligations to non-members and since Japan is far from the Atlantic. Some member nations might act on their own.

Recall what NATO means NA = North Atlantic.

CyburneticTigerToday  04:47 am JST

Not sure if that matters, The question should be whether NATO will come.

Since Japan isn't a member and just a "global partner" should NATO even come?

Good question. But as a number of NATO nations are members of the USFK Command which is the signatory to the 1951 Armistice with North Korea, and North Korea's actions have continuously been in violation of UN resolutions, I'd think the odds are pretty good.

They're only reacting*

early morning typo

Not sure if that matters, The question should be whether NATO will come.

Since Japan isn't a member and just a "global partner" should NATO even come?

The EU is not a militaristic maniac. They have no insane urges to prove their worthless arms domination constantly.

Neither is the United States, they're only reactions are when their security or ally's security is challeneged. Don't start sht, wont be sht.

Dirk TToday 01:32 am JST@ZZ: a naive view of geopolitics if there ever was one. The EU will not come to Japan's aid militarily.

Not sure if that matters, The question should be whether NATO will come.

Rest easy. Kim will never purposely strike first, he's not a fool. He's well aware of the consequencies of such a move. Conversely, be sure that should he be attacked first, he'll drench his enemies territories with all he's got. Knowing well that'll be the finale~ for the Kims dynasty.

The EU is not a militaristic maniac. They have no insane urges to prove their worthless arms domination constantly.

@ZZ: a naive view of geopolitics if there ever was one. The EU will not come to Japan's aid militarily.

The thing is, no one has to do anything. Such almighty Amerika and drained third world dictatorship North Korea. USA bolsters strong enough defenses to simply take down any missile directed at both civil or military targets, without any danger except increased radiation levels. There are exactly ZERO REASONS TO RETALIATE, but all the simpletons and latent maniacs are saying "The moment they launch their crap towards US or Japan South Korea becomes the only Korea". I can only hope that people responsible behind US defense ministry are not internet rednecks who want to see the world burn, but instead will focus on defense and peace when the need arises.

Way back during Sputnik days, we were trained what to do in case of nuclear attack: stand up, spread legs, bend over and kiss yo (self) goodbye.

Very interesting and informative article, well worth reading:

https://www.democracynow.org/2017/8/1/negotiations_not_war_green_partys_jill

Negotiation was working. Until Bush came on the scene. And now all Trump can do is bluster and flog "defense" systems.

For a nation with supposed crumbled infrastructure, they sure can launch successfully consecutively.

No one's mentioning the tick in activities to coincide with Abe's decline plus the calls to kick the us out of Okinawa.

It's because they are using more than 40% (compared to a global average of 2%) of their GDP on military spending. Plus technology transfer and material/economical assistance from China.

Do you really believe that Abe and Trump are on the phone telling Kim when to launch next?

If so, nothing anyone says can convince you otherwise.

You want to join me on my expedition to the hollow earth? Those flat-earthers are wrong and we'll prove it!

NK would not simply launch a nuclear-armed missile toward any target randomly. It has always been a program designed to deter a US attack on NK. That would be the trigger for a response, if they even had one or two working weapons, which they do not.

　ANd you know this how? NK is not the USSR, where MAAD ruled the day.

There is no evidence that NK has miniaturized any device for use use as a warhead.

There is no evidence NK can build a reentry housing module.

There is no evidence that NK can build a detonation mechanism for a mobile device.

There is no evidence NK can build a missile with a reliable navigation system.

There is no radionuclide evidence that any tests so far have truly been nuclear devices and not just massive piles of dynamite.

NK would not simply launch a nuclear-armed missile toward any target randomly. It has always been a program designed to deter a US attack on NK. That would be the trigger for a response, if they even had one or two working weapons, which they do not.

Scary articles sell better than the truth.

dmatthToday 09:10 pm JSTCan someone point me to a reference explaining why North Korea still has a hard-on against the US ?

Google "why North Korea hates us:". Lots of articles.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2017/05/17/why-does-north-korea-hate-the-united-states-lets-go-back-to-the-korean-war/?utm_term=.40878decfb11

 There is a MAJOR bargaining point. NK is broke. They will negotiate.

Just how naive are you?

The US negotiated and gave literally BILLIONS to NK in the past to stop their development of nukes, and look what has happened.

How many times has the US negotiated and gotten burned, because all the money and food they sent to NK never stopped them from doing a damn thing.

Get your head out of the sand for once, open your eyes, the ONLY arbitrator, capable of doing anything to stop NK, isn't doing close to enough, and look what's happening.....are you that blind?

The US policy of "shoot first and ask questions later" isn't going to work in this case. 

How much more ignorant can you be here? When is the last time the US "shot first and asked questions later" when dealing with NK?

Do you have that short of a memory? Not all that long ago NK shot across at SK. Ahh but you conveniently forget that, and in your desire to paint the US as the problem, you fail to look at what exactly has been happening.

Your hatred of the US and the US military has jaded your thoughts and opinions, and THAT is more dangerous, because folks like YOU let your emotions dictate actions, and THAT gets people killed!

Can someone point me to a reference explaining why North Korea still has a hard-on against the US ?

Didn't the Korean War fizzle out a half century ago ?

I doubt that there would be any warning - doing so would probably cause a lot of panic and who knows whether the NK's have got the accuracy to hit any particular target precisely. Also, they seem to have stopped their Nuke testing recently - perhaps they've run out of material ?

.There is a MAJOR bargaining point. NK is broke. They will negotiate. Go and TALK with them. 

Talks have been going on for decades.

The US never shot first in the Korean War or the continuous provocations NK carried out against SK, Japan and the US as well that ended in loss of life.

The sunshine policy and strategic patience have only made NK stronger. Giving rewards to NK in return for non-aggression has not worked in the past (countless attacks on SK border troops, abduction, sinking of US navy and SK navy ship), and is akin to paying a gangster "protection money."

Is it just me, or am I the only one who see's no redeeming value in this article.....

There will be no war. All we are seeing is the rise of a new Military Industrial Complex based upon missile defense systems, computer information sharing and the US intelligence community. It is simply a new way to beat a dead horse, the American taxpayer. Is North Korea a threat? Yes. Should they be dealt with? Yes. Then why aren't they? Simple. Since the 1950s the US has relied upon technologies to warn itself of future threats. That system has failed to deliver. Despite the investment of billion in high technology, most of it reproducing older technology, the US intelligence community has not similarly invested in human analysis. The reason they did not invest in their analysis is that, to know the answer, would mean to take action against the problem. In the end, the US intelligence community is weak, heavily politicized and criminally incompetent. They cannot direct the warfighter against the proper targets because they do not know where those targets are.... They are also dependent upon the public purse. To maintain their positions without accountability, they must enlarge the swamp, grow the government, and build their empires. The new boogie man to scare the people is nuclear weapons in the hands of people that cannot be trusted. If one thinks at the present that the swamp is large from bureaucratic skimming, you haven't seen nothing compared to what is coming. Eisenhower was correct, beware the Military-Industrial Complex...it is morphing into something new. Taxation via government controlled terror. The new "America"

One wonders why we have politicians and diplomats if they can't do their job. There is a MAJOR bargaining point. NK is broke. They will negotiate. Go and TALK with them. The US policy of "shoot first and ask questions later" isn't going to work in this case. To be honest it hasn't worked anywhere. And please, please, please don't make another blood bath in the Far East like there is in the Middle East.

There is also a Possibility No 3

That a Third unknown party will beat all other nations and *will use the Biggest ever Nuclear device on North korea.*

Their way of telling Kim He is out of step with this world's reality of Nuclear war

They could reason if he Felt the result in his country ,No one ever from North Korea would ever Taunt the East or western world by threatening the World.s security ever again .

Not hard in this day an age of outer space Missilery thats kept top secret from all mere mortals.

This will be the Beginning of true star wars .

Also the end of the World we now live in.

Looks like the author is out to stir the pot more and more. Not a good thing really. Probably too young to know anything about the Cold War, or at least only what she read in a history book.

plus the calls to kick the us out of Okinawa.

Gimme a break, this has been happening for decades, you a newbie here?

NK has to target the US as it's the only way.

But make no mistake, both Korea's are nationalist nations, and hating Japan is part of being. It's taught and nutured.

Any nuclear missile salvo from North Korea will probably either be a last ditch take'em down with me, or cornered rat last resort.

In the same way that Imperial Japan thought that they could end the trade sanctions and force the allies into a treaty more advantageous for Japan, by dealing a massive first strike. And later in the war, Kamikaze attacks.

Moral of the story; do not test America's resolve.

Conventional weapons, however. In the event of war, who knows where they'd fall.

NK is not exactly known for it's sophisticated guidance technology.

The fear generated from war mongering is and always will be the crook's last resort.

For a nation with supposed crumbled infrastructure, they sure can launch successfully consecutively.

No one's mentioning the tick in activities to coincide with Abe's decline plus the calls to kick the us out of Okinawa.

It's laughable how mind numbingly bazash people are!

In Japan North Korea will attack American bases first. If you live in Tokyo you can take easy precautions as you should do because of earthquakes tsunamis etc. Don't live near American base.

Only two things to do in case of North Korean missile attack on your district:

nothing

live your life (like the ojiisan on the bench in front of the big gun)

Or fit is all too troubling, find another place and move there.

And let's face it, Tokyo will be nightmarish in any disaster. In pre-keitai days, a minor earthquake or a sudden downpour or typhoon saw huge lines of people in front of the multiple green pay phones at stations regularly enough. These days in the case of a North Korean missile attack on the Tokyo district all those people will just line up somewhere else, sumaho in hand.

Much better to be near a base in a rural area where there is at least still space to go hide or whatever. Komatsu and Misawa always seem nice for me in that respect..

That dude looks pretty chill.

To be honest, if you live in Tokyo there's not much you can do. And for all those goons in a certain country who are cheering this on, hoping to grab some popcorn and watch the firework show from the safety and comfort of their oversized couches, I say "Dulce bellum inexpertis" - War is sweet for those who haven't experienced it.