Japan launches new spy satellite to monitor N Korean missiles

Economy threat is real not NK... shouganai?!

So, that is 46 billion Yen in total for an imaginary threat. All those victims from the Tsunami could have used that money better.

I agree, Foxie. The US already keeps a close eye on NK and would certainly share information regarding a missile launch real-time. Also, what benefit would such information offer? - would it be tied into some anti-missile system? And really, aside from some last-gasp, suicidal spasm, when would NK actually target Japan - and with what?

"In defiance of international pressure, North Korea launched again what was believed to be a three-stage Taepodong-2 missile in April 2009, with an estimated range of 6,700 kilometers."

Well I agree with Foxie whenhe says it's "an imaginary threat". It is. Every serious analyst knows 2 things about the Taepodong II: it is an utter failure with no proven success rate and it's payload is too small to carry a nuclear device.

The 6,700 km range is not based on it's track record and the authors know this for the tests they did in 98 and recently show it csnt go that far.

The elephant in the room is China. And don't pretend he world likes it when the US or Russia tests thousands of weapons and the Koreans test fewer than a dozen pieces of junk.

So this is one of the reasons why China (supposedly) hacked Mitsubishi Heavy Industries' computers recently.

The Taepodong-2 is kind of like a smart missile. NK launches it out the back of a truck, then Kim Jong Ill turns on CNN to see where it lands.

Spacecraft development is not something that happens within a few months. This thing took a lot of years and the money was spent a long time ago. So I wouldn't count this as money that could "help tsunami victims".

And saying that the threat is imaginary is simplistic at best. And the benefit of this type of satellite is it could assist with other things too (mapping, seeing fault lines, etc), and Japan does not have to depend on the US for a "filtered" view of NK.

Why would you release this as news? a spy satellite should be secret

Why would you release this as news? a spy satellite should be secret Very true gogogo... cos spying is not in nature of Japanese... Its the work of US.

There will be another round of 'territorial disputes' in space when those satellites flew over China's airspace! See what will happens if they lost contact!

gogogoSep. 23, 2011 - 08:27PM JST. Why would you release this as news? a spy satellite should be secret

Pankaj RathoreSep. 23, 2011 - 08:30PM JST ... cos spying is not in nature of Japanese... Its the work of US.

Pankaj Rathore, that is not the reason.

gogogo, such info is usually intentionally published with the purpose to specifically state that the satellite is not against anyone else, but N.Korea, which is probably not true, but still... It will also save a lot of political shitstorm, as N.Korea is a rogue state and nobody really cares about it. If you don't publish the information like this, everybody around Japan will assume that Japan is behaving hostile. Japan doesn't need that.

Good to see another successful launch of the H-2A system and a boost to the rocket/missile technology.

OMG! I hope and pray that the commies never try to use those missiles against Japan, South Korea and or Mexico!

Does Mexico also fear North Korea???

[x] spy sat [ ] Japan's independent nuclear deterrant

Why spend that money? The USA, which already shares information with Japan, has those satellites. Japan cannot attack until the nuclear missile enters its air space, which is TOO LITTLE, TOO LATE. By the way, was this satellite paid for in a funded expenditure or was it another bill on the national debt?

You really can't rely on uncle Sam nowadays, he has many problems of his own. It pleases me to hear Japan is moving towards the right direction of defending itself from possible attacks. I know it is only a spy satellite, but hey at least it is 100% Japanese.

Nice "secret" spy satellite that you have there.

just-a-guy, sure China could take out a Japanese satellite. I suppose the response would be to take out one or more of China's.

While at it, anything that it flies over as well.

I doubt NK have more than 4 missiles

@YuriOtani:. I suppose the response would be to take out one or more of China's. Really? When did Japan ever shot down a satellite in space?

For Yuri and Just-a-Guy: The odds of shooting a moving object in space are pretty low. The one that China shot down a few years ago was one of their own, and it was old and dying/dead anyway. The irresponsibility on China's part is not knowing / caring that all the debris it created would be an issue for other spacecraft. Remember, it takes very little to disturb something in space flight, and cause irreparable damage.

Now, the fact that Japan is not doing this covertly, but overtly, is good from the standpoint that nK sees that it's not just one country that is concerned with them, it is multiple. And technology like this creates job in the space industry.

The development cost of the latest satellite has reached 36 billion yen with its launch expenses amounting to 10 billion yen, according to the government.

The best way to defend from North Korea is buy the top politicians with money and food. If you spend 1 billion yen to spy them or buy them then you will get all datas of all military operation of NK. More over you can control them too. Save money and gave some food to NK people... What did those mass bame for. China and Russia made that poor country. Now China is using them for thier benefit.. I sympathise with the Korean people...

It's not a bad thing for Japan to have some independent intelligence capability, provided this thing actually works. But the main reason for it is that Japan's military establishment has a raging inferiority complex. Its leaders want so badly to be in the Premiere League. None of them has ever faced incoming fire but they are eager to send their young men closer to it. (If I recall, some police officers did in Cambodia and a Coast Guard vessel took fire from a North Korean dinghy, but both are officially police organisations.) The political system forces them to stay on the sidelines. At least with a satellite they can mimic the workings of the U.S. Air Force's intelligence community with no adverse political repercussions.

But clearly Japan's own corporations, TEPCO as exhibit A, are ready and able to do far more damage to its civilian population than North Korea is thus far capable of. They should be using whatever surveillance technology is at their disposal to ascertain where typhoons are carrying Fukushima's radioactive particles.

Just a question, I'm not sure on this? But does this go against the non-aggression act in japanese law?

"If you throw a punch, you have to be ready to fight the match." Japan will NEVER shoot down a Chinese or any other country's spy satellite. Japan is a weakling in such a battle. The Russians are the only people to shoot down a spy mission- U2- a long time ago. Japan doesn't need to waste any more money on "self defense" technology like this satellite. Invest in the Japanese economy in areas other than space technology. Maybe the lobbyist have the Diet under control in this area exactly as they do in the USA Congress. Just buy it like the USA. It is called Russian transportation such as the failed equipment delivery to the ISS.

So you wanna be startin something....got to be startin something.

Wasted money indeed. That satellite could've been sold for it's parts to cover financial compensation and reconstruction costs.

Of course, this is Japanese politics and every hero needs a villain. Sometimes the only way to make yourself look good is to make the other guy look bad.

Mexico has no reason to fear north Korea, im sure North Korea doesnt even know it exists. @ Elbuda- no eres la voz de Mexico please cut it out and stop embaressing us.

I think the launch is a good thing, yeah they put up a sat in space now but maybe next time they will put up astronauts.

just-a-guy, the Americans did it with a modified pac III missile and Japan has these missiles. If China can do it, Japan can do it as well. Think of the satellite as a reconnaissance bird. It is there to detect dangers and by itself is peaceful.