Defense official voices fears over possible N Korea nuclear test

North Korea is far from being able to put a missile together with a nuclear warhead and deliver it against perceived enemies in East Asia, let alone the U.S. A repeat of an underground nuclear test is not much to be concerned about at this time.

“We’d better keep in mind that they may conduct a nuclear test,”

Let's not start any fear-mongering to take away from Japan's own massive failure during the rocket launch!

I suppose they'll be watching CNN to keep their eyes on North Korea, like they did with the missile launch. Great show on that early warning system, mates! One could have gotten a tattoo in the time it took the Defence Ministry to issue a warning.

NK's provocations continue to have their desired effect: throwing Japan into a tizzy. I wish Japan would learn to react in measured terms to their empty threats. They have not demonstrated the ability to construct a working nuclear bomb. They have not demonstrated the ability to reliably launch ballistic missiles. The idea that they'd be able to deliver a nuclear weapon by ballistic missile is fantastic; we'll see the implementation of a space elevator before that, I'd wager.

Let them stew. Their flavor might improve when they realize all take their broader regional threats as the bombast that they only are.

should sign up to Obama's twitter feed, faster than the Japanese Ministry of Defence.

What "crisis-management measures" does this fool recommend? Filling NHK with hysterical nonsense for the next few weeks? Any test will have zero impact on Japan so why worry?

North Korea should go ahead their nuclear test as soon as possible otherwise their 23million populations will suffering like those inhabitants watching helplessly when US occupation aliens rampage their land and sexually attacking their ladies! The US military wewre the worst kind of cowardice in the world, they will back off and behaves rather than drunkened and bullying if they understood what a nuclear blast is imminent not far away from them!

I was wondering what all of this recent sabre-rattling from Japan was about ; un-founded fears about North Korea, missiles in Tokyo, David Cameron flying in with British arms industry salesmen ??

It looks like Japan is slowly unravelling its post-war pacifist constitution.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/12/27/us-japan-defence-idUSTRE7BQ06Q20111227

Not sure what the West can do to the Peoples Republic of Korea. There is already no food aid, fuel aid or electric aid. What more can they do besides attack?

Darren, you should not worry too much. Japan today is the land of Hello Kitty. The economy is about to fail, the people do not want to fight. So relax The old Joke in the SDF is Japan can not have a effective fighter interceptor. The reason is it does not have enough flight time because it takes too much time for the government in Tokyo to make a decision.

What are they afraid of? CNN will keep Japan's defence intelligence apparatus well apprised of the situation.