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Japan goes into crisis mode for possible N Korea missile launch

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Is this the same “Crisis Mode” we prepared for when the HOOLIGANS were coming? For those of you who were here for the 2002 World Cup. ;)

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Yes, it reminds of me Hooligans scare, but this time it provides good "drill" opportunity to defence/rescue agencies.

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“The problem is that we have no idea if it will hit us or where it will land until it happens,” said prefectural disaster management official Shuzo Koshino. “We won’t have time for evacuation or to do anything. Where do we evacuate to, anyway? We don’t have underground shelters.”

Seems in retrospect a little more effort to talk to NKorea instead of demanding the abductees' return might have paid off better than getting a missile shot over you. But hey, hindsight is 20/20, and if anything, knowing how far Japan has it's head up its... well, you know... the people will further back the ultra-right and their rhetoric against NK instead of trying to improve relations and make things better.

Scary stuff, but as I have been saying for more than a year now, and perhaps a whole lot longer, the language of the past US admin., the current Japan admin., and especially the current SKorean admin. has done NOTHING to improve things. Now we can all sit and wait to reap the 'rewards' of such a hard line.

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“We are preparing to do everything we can to protect the safety and lives of the people,” said Chief Cabinet Secretary Takeo Kawamura.

Like hell you are. If you were, the first order of business would be to quash these news agencies stories that are causing the panic, which is the most dangerous aspect of this whole business. At the very least you should be reminding people just how fracking large the areas we are talking about are, and that the odds of getting struck by lighting are higher than getting hit by debris.

Even if NK were actually targeting something in Japan, do you actually think they could hit it? Please. Hopefully the launch will happen at night, and I can sit outside, enjoy a beer, and see a tiny speck of light go by high overhead. A self-destruct would be even better. It would do less damage than Skylab.

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"Is this the same “Crisis Mode” we prepared for when the HOOLIGANS were coming? For those of you who were here for the 2002 World Cup. ;)"

Without the plastic forks.

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NK has never attacked Japan in the past. Why would they start now? What could they possibly gain? I think there is a lot of fuss about nothing.

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The population must be controlled through fear..... simple.

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Japanese government is exaggerating NKorean missile matter as "Crisis Mode" to Japanese people, so they are now worried about it and getting more serious about J-defense system. After all Defence Ministry will be able to get more military budget for defense system next year to buy more advanced missiles, more Aegis ships, more fighter jets, etc, etc from the US. This must be government's conspiracy.

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We just have to believe that the chance of being hit by missile debris is smaller than getting hit by a car.

The thing is that the chance of being hit by a car in Japan is quite high xD

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I have been waiting for the C word! “This must be government's conspiracy.” Come on! The media is just over dramatizing this like everything else. Like I wrote earlier, remember the hooligans? Media mate, just the media!

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This is good, let there be panic let there be some real fear on the part of the Japanese population and maybe that country will wake up and smell the coffee. Trash Article 9 and become a responsible partner.

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Seems in retrospect a little more effort to talk to NKorea instead of >demanding the abductees' return might have paid off better than getting >a missile shot over you.

You mean more buttkissing without getting anything in return? Even SKorea has finally tired of that silly game.

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This is good, let there be panic let there be some real fear on the part of the Japanese population and maybe that country will wake up and smell the coffee.

What coffee?

Trash Article 9 and become a responsible partner.

Great idea. Smash one of the pillars that has been holding the peace firmly in place for over 50 years. Look, Japan has established its right to self defense, and that is plenty.

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why ?

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Japan loves to play the victim, "look at all this work we had to do"... please fell sorry for us.

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The sky is falling.

Wolf wolf.

Y2k

To bad nobody will entertain the notion that it just might be a satellite. And if someone didnt have a stick up their @#$ they could have said " well how about in a show of good faith we help you with your launch". But no its better to get people riled up and in fighting mode than peaceful negotiation and co operative co existence.

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Much ado about nothing. Japan has gone into moron mode.

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This is incredible, a bunch of out of control lunatics are about to fire a missile in the general direction of Japan & Japan gets the criticism for taking precautions.

smithinjapan at 04:24 PM JST - 26th March

“instead of trying to improve relations and make things better”

Come on, I expect better of you than that, this is NK we are talking about. You could talk all you want to them but the important element will always be missing, they wouldn’t be listening.

Are you really suggesting that Japan is in the wrong because they have cut back the aid to NK, because they have done what any government should do & continued to try to find out what has happened to its kidnapped citizens?

If Japan sat back & did nothing these threads would be full of criticism about how Japan was weak, was stupid, was a puppet of the US & so on & so on. And what would follow should a chunk of NK missile did land in a Japanese town or city & did actually kill somebody? We can all predict the posts that would follow that. And Mr. Smith you would be shy in coming forward would you?

The shame is that Japan doesn’t have cruse missiles which could be fired at the launch pad to take out this NK missile on the ground. Out of order? Yes, so what, this is NK we are talking about. They take no notice of what anybody says so why should anybody take any notice of what they say? NK go to war? Not without Chinas say so & that isn’t going to be given. Just look at the trade relationships between China & Japan, the US, Australia, New Zealand & Europe. Is China going to put all that at risk just to be a good friend to NK? No chance.

Aid to NK has managed to keep that country ticking over for a long time, far longer than it should have. That aid & the appeasement approach taken for so long have not helped the region or the people of NK, that approach has just kept the crazy people in power. Maybe it’s time to force the people of NK to rise up against their dear leader by showing them what he & his circle of friends are really like. And the only way to get passed the years of indoctrination is starvation. Stop all aid & then just wait. Yes that is hard & cruel on the people, but is it any less so than keeping their prison afloat with aid for the last 50 plus years? It’s time to bring this sick & dangerous comedy to an end.

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Japan should not continue to pump in money to lil kim's luxuary. To a nation that spends 20% of GDP to it's military.

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"Japan has gone into moron mode."

Then South Korea and the US did too, because they both sent their navy to wathers in North Japan. Two US navy fregats left Sasebo today.

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Remember: duck and cover!

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roomtemperature at 09:58 PM JST - 26th March

You do realise that passing on military information is a criminal offence?

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You do realise that passing on military information is a criminal offence?

hahahahaha. oh dear

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Sorry about that, but I just couldn't resist it.

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Crisis? What crisis? The is just media helping Japan's fledgling homeland security industry is all. So KJI is playing with his model rocket. He's gonna launch a little beeper so he can sit back afterward and say "See? I told you so!" So what? Nothing's gonna happen and if anyone here thinks the USN is gonna try and shoot it down, risking the humiliation of a miss above watchful Chinese and Russian warships, they have some reading to do. If that rocket gets shot down by some miracle like the USN launching 50 standard missiles at it and fluking into a hit (one rational reason to have pumped so much hardware into the Sea of Japan in rcent weeks), KJI would have the army marching through the rubble of Seoul before we all wake up the next morning and would have every right to do so. a 1994 U.S. defence department study noted the threat of " ... an artillery attack on Seoul ... that could conceivably kill hundreds of thousands of people in the first few hours ... " They have 500 long-range artillery pieces within firing range of Seoul.

Ah, the fans are out and stoking hard the fires of Japanese militarism. What a joke. This is the real world kiddies - learn something about how it works before you start firing real missiles around.

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Great idea. Smash one of the pillars that has been holding the peace firmly in place for over 50 years.

What nonsense. There has been peace because of an end to the military junta and because the Japanese no longer want to start a conflict. Nothing would change if Article 9 were abolished, save for the fact that it could help its friends and participate more readily in peacekeeping and the like.

Look, Japan has established its right to self defense, and that is plenty.

Then why don't all other countries have similar constitutional restrictions? Because it limits their ability to protect their interests overseas. This isn't the 16th century - a country can be affected by events on the other side of the globe.

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It's always a good laugh when the Japan-bashers get excited about something. Doubtlessly if the NK rocket misfired and fell on to Japanese territory killing people, they would be screaming that the authorities should have been taking all steps to prevent against it and the fact they didn't even hold drills meant they didn't care and isn't Japan so horrible blaa-blaa-blaa-blaa-blaa.

North Korea is acting illegally, not Japan. Japan is perfectly justified in trying to prevent against an accident, especially given that North Korean technology is probably the shoddiest in the whole of Asia. Its last missile didn't stay in the air for more than 30 seconds!

In fact Japan should just shoot the thing down and expose North Korean threats as being empty. It's time someone stood up to Kim and his bully-boys.

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Wish I could help. Japan as is, is worth defending.

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"would have the army marching through the rubble of Seoul" "and would have every right to do so"

answer with your own quote: "This is the real world kiddies"

...no army has "the right" to march through any other territory.

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#

888naff at 11:45 PM JST - 26th March

"would have the army marching through the rubble of Seoul" "and would have every right to do so"

answer with your own quote: "This is the real world kiddies"

...no army has "the right" to march through any other territory.

They have the right if attacked by SK or its ally acting on its behalf. A shootdown of a sat launch would constitute an act of war and would even likely hold up in the U.N. Smooth geopolitical credentials you've got under your belt there.

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kanadamanda: at 11:01 "stoking hard the fires of Japanese militarism" I don't see any such thing. Japan is concerned that Kim's rocket is going to fall on their territory. You know Kim's military hardware doesn't usually work right so they have every reason to be concerned. How do you make the leap of logic that if the USN shot it down Kim would attack the South? Even crazy Kim wouldn't do it, he hasn't thus far for the simple reason that he would get vaporized and his fairytale land would end. You are correct it won't be shot dowm but your hypothesis borders on the hysterical.

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Well, one thing I can say about the North Koreans. They know how to get attention. What if no one cared if they launched a vintage sputnik into space. The regime might collapse.

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Great idea. Smash one of the pillars that has been holding the peace >firmly in place for over 50 years. Look, Japan has established its right >to self defense, and that is plenty.

As I said smell the coffee. That "pillar" no longer maintains peace in east asia, instead it invites actions like shooting a missle over another country. In other words it has become a deterent to maintaining peace. How many people think NKorea would do this if Japan's hands weren't tied by their constitution? Plenty my buttocks.

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Ah, the fans are out and stoking hard the fires of Japanese militarism.

Japanese militarism is dead and gone. The country and it's people have enjoyed a democratic society, even with all it's faults, for too long to ever go back to pre-WWII militarism. Trashing Article 9, permitting collective defense, these are corrections that need to be made to bring Japan up to today's world situation.

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Boy I sure wish the US military would go home now....LOL

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Boy I sure wish the US military would go home now....LOL

If North Korea were to target Japan, it might be because of the following;

North Korea warned that Japan would be immersed in a "nuclear sea of fire" if the United States were to attack the North.

as well

"If the United States ignites a nuclear war in this part of the world, then U. S. bases in Japan would serve as a detonating fuse that would plunge Japan into a nuclear sea of fire,"

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North Korea is playing a dangerous game. They threaten the stability of an entire region by their refusal to submit to the rule of international law.

If the North launches a missle and the US or its allies shoot it down (which I believe they will) the North will not invade or attack the South because they know that it means nothing short of absolute destruction of their regime.

They are going to get their bluff called and it will result in the further erosion of Kim's power base in the North. This will hopefully accelerate his removal from power and the rise of more moderate actors in the North's political system.

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I still think cutting off all trade between NK and Japan, including travel, renumerations by NK citizens living in Japan, and the ill gotten pachinko profits, are a good start in squeezing the dear little pipsqueaks, um, ears. Hey, solve some of the temp worker unemployment and deport all NK citizens too. I wonder what kimmy will think when a bunch of people who have tasted freedom end up back in his juchie paradise. Probably disrupt his spy network too...

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If in fact it is a satellite then NK has every friggin right to fire it. Just like Japan and the US. Wow wouldn't it be an embarrassment if the US and japan engaged in a war with NK because they assumed it was a bomb.

Like the invasion of somewhere else over WMD's.

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You clearly do not undestand the issue.

The missle being used to launch the "satellite" is the exact same type that can be used to carry warheads (nuclear or otherwise), a 3 stage balistic missle. Previous UNSC resolutions prohibit North Korea from launching balistic missles.

The US and its allies are completely within their rights to try to prevent the launch and / or impose penalties after the fact.

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What would happen if it was determined the missile has an impact point somewhere in the USA or Canada? Does the Norths "warning" extend to this?

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@ YuriOtani

The the missle would promptly be shot down and Kim would resume his bellicose threats.

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The real threat is not from this one particular missile. The bigger threat is from NK's development of long-range missile technology which they could then sell to countries like Iran, who are developing nukes. Do you want a country, who's sworn religious duty is to wipe the U.S. off the map, to be able to drop a nuke in your backyard?

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No I do understand I have been in japan for everything they have pulled since 93. I wasn't too worried then and Im not now. As for as Iran Im pretty damn close to them right now. Since when did the US get to dictate who and who cant develop their military power. YES Im an American and whats good for the goose is good for the gander. If everybody would just back off and take 5 mins to understand each other we wouldn't be here. As well cowboy dubya didnt smooth the world frustrations with his axis of evil speech. If your going to poke someone in the eye be ready to get poked back. Right now the US and everyone is ASSUMING this is for military purposes. How many times has the US pulled the bait and switch. Next it will be WMD's in NK, Oh wait thats right we know they have them but there isnt anything worth marching for there.

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The US dictates who can and can't develop their military force because our military supremecy is the supreme authority from which all other authority is derived.

They are a threat to our and the region's collective peace, security, and prosperity. Since that determination has been made the US will act to protect ours and our allies interests and security.

If they continue forward in a wreckless manner than it will almost certainly lead to a conflict where many lives will be lost but the US and allies will emerge not only victorious, but stronger than before.

If everybody would just back off and take 5 mins to understand each other we wouldn't be here.

That is a very naive world view. Governments have opposing viewpoints and world views that cannot simply be ironed out over a cup of tea.

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I wonder if Japan has much to gain politically from it's overreaction to NK as NK itself has from the launch. Probably does.

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I wonder if Japan has much to gain politically from it's overreaction to >NK as NK itself has from the launch. Probably does.

I disagree. We (The United States) have been trying to get Japan to "re-arm" since the end of the Korean War and little real progress has been made in terms of the constitution. That the majority of the Japanese public prefers to live in their "peaceful" country while the US bears the biggest burden of actual defense in the event of an all out war scenario, is why Japan has been able to avoid doing anything about their constitition and particularly Article 9. If anything, NKorea's continued belligerent attitude and activities is working to alter popular thinking in Japan and forcing them into a direction they have been able to avoid for over 65 years. So I'd hardly call that any kind of gain. The "over-reaction" is what you'd expect from a peace-loving country in their own protective bubble with an idealistic view of the world.

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I think all the armchair militarists posting here should be given guns and locked in a room with each other so they can work out their infantile aggressions among themselves.

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I think all the armchair militarists posting here should be given guns and locked in a room with each other so they can work out their infantile aggressions among themselves.

You are mistaking "militarists" with "realists".

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China controls Dear Leader Monchichi and if China orders Monchichi to stop he will. But whenever China wants or needs something they release Dear Leader Monchichi from his reigns.

Dear Leader Monchichi needs to be put down but China would lose a nice lap dog.

I for one hope he launches, then article 9 will follow that missile out of Japan. Then I wonder how will Monchichi and his masters feels....

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Clause 9 was always going to be both a problem & a useful device for Japan. No, they couldn’t recreate the militarism of the 30s, but to a large degree they didn’t want to, added to which they managed to stay out of Americas tacky little wars by saying you forced this on us so we are keeping it. Just think about all the “fun” South Korea, Australia & New Zealand had in Vietnam, “fun” that Japan managed not to get dragged into, because of clause 9.

I said it before, without Chinas approval NK isn’t marching anywhere & most certainly not through Seoul, because South Korea isn’t the country that is shooting down anything. If Japan &/or the US do shoot this missile down (if they can) NK would have no legitimate right to attack SK & would therefore be faced with a backlash supported by the UN & that gives the US & Japan, and South Korea a free hand.

China today isn’t as it was, today they have far too much to lose in backing dippy NK. Does anybody really believe China is going to put all they have gained over the last 20 years at risk simply to support NK? It will not happen & NK may be run by crazy people, but crazy isn’t the same as stupid. Their dear leader may also be as mad as they make them, but he is surrounded by some very serious people that are very happy to have things stay the way they are, if he orders am attack on anybody he might just take very ill very quickly, he’s not a well man remember.

Hat is happening now might well just be the first steps towards changing the way Asia is today & bringing about a transformation that is in the interests of all except NK. My money is on China pushing NK to fire this missile so that they can disown them leaving China with clean hands & no nasty little nutter living next door.

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I dont know if I would be taking this calmly if I was Japanese. North Korea indeed does play a dangerous game and I wouldnt be surprised if North Korea was actually planning on bombing Japan. But I suppose that if Kim Jong iL and the rest of North Korea dont want a massive problem on their hands they better not stuff it up.

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If they wish to place a satellite into orbit they should have the Chinese do it for them. They could do it for a lot less than the bankrupt North Korea! There would also be no trouble with other countries. Thus the satellite is just an excuse on their part.

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According to Sankei Shimbun Iran is in on it:

"A group of Iranian missile experts is in North Korea to help Pyongyang prepare for a rocket launch, Japan's Sankei Shimbun newspaper reported on Sunday.

"North Korea has said it will launch a communications satellite over northern Japan between April 4 and 8, and the report said the 15-strong Iranian delegation had been in the country since the beginning of this month.

"It includes senior officials with Iranian rocket and satellite producer Shahid Hemmat Industrial Group, the daily said, quoting unnamed sources.

"The Iranians brought a letter from their President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il stressing the importance of cooperating on space technology, it added.

"The United States and its Asian allies suspect North Korea is using the launch as a cover for a long-range missile test." http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5iJHPoEJN1jLhO9owifTNk3Wd7lgg

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"North Korea has said it will launch a communications satellite over >northern Japan between April 4 and 8, and the report said the 15-strong >Iranian delegation had been in the country since the beginning of this >month.

It's kind of refreshing that there's very little ambiguity as to who our "enemies" are.

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