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Tokyo holds 1st drill for military attack since World War II amid N Korean threat

45 Comments
By Kyoko Hasegawa

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45 Comments
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some 250 local residents and office workers duly evacuated

Let's see if everything goes well when it's 250,000...

16 ( +20 / -4 )

This is so idiotic.  DPRK will never attack Japan unprovoked.  would take a US or SK first strike for them to even think about it.  and anyway, running around like this will not protect from a missile, nuclear or otherwise.

16 ( +21 / -5 )

RidIculous propaganda from the government whose only objective is here to spread fear among the population so that it can have even more control on it.

14 ( +26 / -12 )

Terrifying warning at an amusement park? There is a sence of humour, the regime is aging have absolutely no idea what to do and are reverting to trying to terrify the population while claiming they are the only ones who can protect the population. It's like living with a physocpath who promises you safety if you do what they say. While sharpening a knife.

14 ( +17 / -3 )

"You won't survive if a war occurs. A nuclear war would devastate everything," she said.

If you are hit by nuclear weapons, hardly no hiding can save you through drills.

Moreover, it would mean 3rd world war (at least regional) and nuclear winter...

Promoting talks is the only meaningful : American would have used nuclear weapons in Korea peninsula in the 50's already at that time.

12 ( +16 / -4 )

Glad to see from the above posters that no one here on the site so far is falling for Abe’s horse manure.

You can’t scare us Abe. We are not as dumb as you think we are.

11 ( +17 / -6 )

WW3 will be fought with nuclear weapons and WW4 with sticks and stones. Just watch Threads, the 1985 British documentary of a nuclear attack on Sheffield, as part of a total global nuclear exchange, which focuses at a family and personal level on the inadequacy of civil defense strategy and operations, the gradual breakdown of society, total shortage of resources, and what was left 7 years later. More than 30 years later, it is still regarded as the most accurate view...

10 ( +10 / -0 )

As the late Zbigniew Brzezinski put it, the reason to generate a culture of fear is that "fear obscures reason, intensifies emotions, and makes it easier for demagogic politicians to mobilize the public on behalf of the policies they want to pursue."

9 ( +11 / -2 )

Manufacturing consent for war - and/or ridiculously expensive arms purchases from the US.

8 ( +16 / -8 )

And right after the drill, which should have announced, "Sorry, it was an NHK mess-up again. No missile was actually launched," Abe was no doubt asking people for understanding and cooperation on his life-long goal of changing article 9 of the Constitution.

Meanwhile, NK and SK are calming things down as Abe pushes other nations to isolate and increase sanctions. Abe wants war, and to blame it on someone else.

8 ( +16 / -8 )

It is amusing, run, duck, flee your current position because you can vaporised .....over there. Being held at an amusement park is probably, amusement wise a good idea.

8 ( +10 / -2 )

Yeah, Threads is required viewing to show how a nuclear war is insane. There's no duck and cover. Any "shelter" would have to support you for a decade or longer. Might as well store some whisky and a gun with at least one bullet waiting

8 ( +8 / -0 )

if the DPRK does lob a nuclear weapon across the japan sea aimed at Tokyo, there will be nowhere to run or hide. This is just absolutely ridiculous propaganda by a right-wing and foolish government.

7 ( +11 / -4 )

Keep em scared Abe, this is so not required.

6 ( +16 / -10 )

Where are they going to run to ? Are there solid underground shelters ?

6 ( +6 / -0 )

Fear mongering from the Nippon gakai old boy with agendas! Hope the people can see through it.

6 ( +7 / -1 )

But many people say that such a system is useless, with too little time to evacuate and few facilities in place to survive a nuclear attack.

Yes, it is useless. Tokyo needs proper underground nuclear shelters, and every resident of Tokyo should be given a map with the locations of these shelters. Many subway stations are too shallow to survive a nuclear attack, they will become death traps. Moreover, they don't have drinking water reservoirs and enough food for people to stay there for several weeks until the radiation levels become safe for people to go outside.

5 ( +7 / -2 )

What is with the Blade Runner plastic raincoats?

5 ( +5 / -0 )

go to South Korea to see what a shelter a functional shelter looks like the blast from a non nuclear weapon is capable of sucking your lungs out, a nuclear weapon might give a millisecond of cognisance to realise that mess on the wall is your internal organs.

5 ( +5 / -0 )

Hahahahahahahahahahaha

4 ( +11 / -7 )

Still don't get this understanding thing, I'm a crook please understand, NK is a threat please understand, we can't explain where all your money goes, please understand. Howwww jump under a table there is a threat. Now that's a translation.

4 ( +8 / -4 )

Scaremongering. Utterly shameful manipualtion of the populace by the government.

Perhaps we should send them a subtitled copy of Threads, educate them a bit.

4 ( +6 / -2 )

It is as if

Abe is begging for a war.

4 ( +5 / -1 )

Kabukilover: "It is as if. Abe is begging for a war."

Not as it -- it simply is. The man is getting old, and is no better than the generals in NK who have spent their entire lives pining and preparing for it. There are politicians and former politicians who have literally said before they die they want to see war with China and/or the Koreas who are also hardcore Nippon Kaigi.

Plus, this kind of fear-mongering -- and yes, demanding people run and get under desks to "prepare" for a nuke is that and nothing else -- gives him the go-ahead to change the Constitution and also to buy more weapons from the US, and build an army here.

And all the while he spreads fear and hysteria and talks about the horrors of nuclear weapons and the need to be ready, will he sign a ban on them? Nope.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

quercetum: "It spirals quite a ways down and might make a good bunker, what do you think?"

They'd all be dead in three days, tops, probably less.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

As ordered by Washington. Abe is playing the scare card so the Japanese people will support Japanese support of the US in military action with NK (and buy more US arms to support the US economy). Both Washington and Abe are deliberately making Japan a target. The Japanese people need to remember what the US did to Japan in WWII. The US con only be trusted while they are allowed to dominate without question.

4 ( +5 / -1 )

This is wrong pressure maximized at Japanese people.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

How bad And wants to change the Constitution, nuclearize, etc. Sad!

3 ( +4 / -1 )

Constitution is still not going to be changed, no matter how many drills there are

2 ( +11 / -9 )

Bill Wright, there are 200 plus countries on the planet of earth, Japan is the only one to have this kind of scary war simulation drill. What intend is that ? Is Abe the only PM who aggressively save lives ?

2 ( +4 / -2 )

@Halwick

disarmament propaganda

Go watch Threads. It's not something to live for

2 ( +2 / -0 )

wanderlust, annually by definition is a planned and routine practice. At this particular time, target it at particular country, is very unique for Abe govt.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Run!?!? pfft, I got a better plan.

"Remember the 5 D's of avoiding nuclear missiles. Dodge, duck, dip, dive and dodge."

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Any of you been to Ohashi near Shibuya that takes you underground to the Chuo and Tohoku highways? It spirals quite a ways down and might make a good bunker, what do you think?

0 ( +0 / -0 )

@Akie - incorrect - Taiwan has them annually, and takes them very seriously.

During the half-hour period, pedestrians and vehicles will have to stay off the roads as ordered by the military, police and civil defense workers, according to the Taipei City Police Department.

Those who violate traffic and evacuation instructions by authorities will be subject to a fine of between NT$30,000 and NT$150,000 (US$4,980) under Article 25 of the Civil Defense Act, the police said.

The high-speed rail, mass rapid transit systems and flights will operate as usual, although disembarking passengers will have to remain in their stations during the 30-minute period.

China, Israel, South Korea, and around 15 other countries test alarms, and many have annual drills. Some alarms are also used for natural disasters.

0 ( +2 / -2 )

Governments have been lying to their populace for years about this stuff. Look at the UK's Protect and Survive information films from the early 80s, they're on youtube.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Sowing discord overseas proved futile due to scrupulous efforts of Supreme Leader Kim Jong-Un, who made first long awaited steps to the unification of the same people, and thus Abe's Inc. is now starting driving the residents angry inside his domain of false power.

-2 ( +1 / -3 )

I'm aghast that people seem to think this is a pointless endeavour. Failure to prepare is preparation for failure.

It's worth remembering as well that a North Korean missile strike might be conventional. L'il Kim may decide that a conventional strike would make the point, whereas the "Allies" may not retaliate as hard as they could for fear of nuclear escalation.

Then there's simply the chance of one of the many missile tests going wrong and evacuations being required in any event.

-4 ( +5 / -9 )

Drills for any catastrophe do not promote any incident however, the intent is to save/ preserve life. To do no preparation is idiotic and promotes disaster ,

-4 ( +0 / -4 )

Amusing how nearly every poster here criticizes and denounces the drills.....until someday the NK fires a missile (with conventional warhead) and lands on Japan and kills a few thousand people.  Then these same people will cry "why didn't the government do anything to save lives?!"

As the late Zbigniew Brzezinski put it, the reason to generate a culture of fear is that "fear obscures reason, intensifies emotions, and makes it easier for demagogic politicians to mobilize the public on behalf of the policies they want to pursue."

Exactly.  For the past 70 years or so, the communists, socialists, anti-war/anti-nuclear organizations, etc., used this same tactic to generate a propaganda culture of fear designed to disarm the U.S. and allies.  Such fear tactics diverted public attention away from the Soviet Union and China, allowing them to develop their nuclear arsenal, which the anti-nuclear/pacifists conveniently overlooks.

In 1961, the Soviet Union exploded a 50 megaton hydrogen bomb, the so-called "Tsar Bomb",  the largest such bomb ever detonated.  The leftists and anti-nuclear organizations said nary a word nor did they denounce the Soviet Union.

Now we have ICAN continuing to generate a culture of nuclear fear and disarmament propaganda....but not directly to Russia, China or North Korea.

-4 ( +2 / -6 )

until someday the NK fires a missile (with conventional warhead) and lands on Japan and kills a few thousand people. Then these same people will cry "why didn't the government do anything to save lives?!"

Yup.

Then again, most posters on this website are pretty anti-LDP and Japanese defence reform. If it was the Democratic Party holding drills, they'd probably let it slide.

-4 ( +0 / -4 )

Each of prefecture has. under ground missile in the air detection system. they were to sto missie traveling too Guam. Since then NK creating longer and higher range missile. Last

one was traveling high near Hokkaido and Aomori, and fell into nearby Pacific Ocean. NK has been puzzled and busy improving its missile science.

-5 ( +0 / -5 )

@bosphorus - Yes, it is useless. Tokyo needs proper underground nuclear shelters, and every resident of Tokyo should be given a map with the locations of these shelters. Many subway stations are too shallow to survive a nuclear attack, they will become death traps. Moreover, they don't have drinking water reservoirs and enough food for people to stay there for several weeks until the radiation levels become safe for people to go outside.

@wanderlust - WW3 will be fought with nuclear weapons and WW4 with sticks and stones. Just watch Threads, the 1985 British documentary of a nuclear attack on Sheffield, as part of a total global nuclear exchange, which focuses at a family and personal level on the inadequacy of civil defense strategy and operations, the gradual breakdown of society, total shortage of resources, and what was left 7 years later. More than 30 years later, it is still regarded as the most accurate view...

Holy smoke you guys! You really need to lighten up on the sci-fi. Go and rent The Sound of Music with Julie Andrews and chill out!

-6 ( +1 / -7 )

I'm aghast that people seem to think this is a pointless endeavour. Failure to prepare is preparation for failure.

Joke all you like but if the missiles do come, and there is very possibility that they may, and they hit civilian areas don't then complain that nothing was done to prevent the inevitable loss of life.

This is not a tactic to scare or control the population at all. I t is incredulous that people are so paranoid and suspicious of governments at the moment that when they actually try and provide safety and a means of protection, albeit in a form of a drill, people jump to the conclusions that it must be for the worst. Ask yourselves this, would you rather be prepared or not for an attack on your homes. If not then you need your head examined!

-10 ( +9 / -19 )

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