Japan has few options to tackle N Korea's provocations

When will Russia and China publicly tell North Korea to stop their BS? It seems they're awful good at telling the U.S. what they should do in a public forum, but NEVER speak to NK in the same manner. Why? Because they can't obtain geopolitical points for it.

Calling on North Korea to avoid taking any "wrong" action that would aggravate the status quo, China's Foreign Ministry said

oh that's rich coming from china

IMO it seems the biggest push is to force SK and then Japan to follow in a push to evic US forces out of the region.

Whatever options Japan has it's time to use them all.

There isn't much Japan can do other than comply with harsher sanctions programs on NK and to spend more on missile defense. As a military option becomes more and more likely, defense spending and civil preparation and evacuation can be ramped up and the fleet and air force deployed. Regardless, I think Japan needs to double or triple their air and missile defenses as precautions

Solutions pretty simple but unfortunately it rubs people the wrong way.

Japan needs to stop imports from China. Of course they won't, unless the US does. But if all allied nations get onboard, guaranteed China will make NK terminate their weapons program.

A country with strict pacifist constitution and relying its defense on other country is very miserable.

Japan needs to send AK48 on a mission of peace loving J-pop diplomacy-problem solved..........

This is getting scary now, especially if you live in a major Japanese city. I personally know two foreign families who are leaving Tokyo, giving up good jobs, kids' schools, etc., because of this tension. How long till the trickle of foreigners heading to Haneda and Narita becomes a flood, like in 2011?

Japan needs to stop imports from China. Of course they won't, unless the US does. But if all allied nations get onboard, guaranteed China will make NK terminate their weapons program.

Agreed. The international business sector has been and is funding the war-monger china. Now its time to put it in reverse.

North Korea, being part of the so-called Axis of Evil designated by the American, developed this nuclear weapon as its ultimate defensive weapon. As survival is the utmost important objective of the Korean regime and with what it witnessed to Saddam and Iraq, Gaddafi and Syria, and now Syria, it knows it needs to protect itself. And nuclear weapon is the most powerful defensive weapon a country can get these days; the P5 knows it, Israel knows it, Pakistan knows it, India knows it, Ukraine know it now but little bit late.

When North Korea gets a reliable and functional delivery system with nuclear war heads, no countries will invade it; not USA, not EU, and certainly not Japan.

Be realistic. Let NK do its business and keep the boy happy until he makes a mistake.

If NK dictator has not been removed since the truce in 1953, how magically can it happen now ?

Physical blocus is nowadays a joke, except if you are OK to kill all NK civilians...

Risking a nuclear war is by far the worst that mankind can take. One nuke would cost hundreds of thousand lives if not over a million so imagine just a few nukes.

Be reasonable. Let the democracy wait its turn. Nothin to do.

And all drills are a joke. NK is not invading Japan anytime soon.

The option for diplomacy, that Abe is seeking anything BUT, has always been right in front of him. But nope! He wants instead to use this as an excuse to achieve his ever-coveted goal of changing the Constitution. But tell me... what will that achieve, even if he's successful? Does he, or do you, think NK will suddenly fall in line? NK knows full well that if they fire at Japan or SK, nuke or not, they will be wiped out. Plain and simple. They don't care if they'll be MORE wiped out because Japan arms itself.

On the contrary, if Abe and Co. continue the bombast and to seek anything BUT dialogue, you're going to end up with more like this news article: deadlock... nowhere to go, nothing to do. Trump's in the same boat; he can't back off his threats and absolute bombast. He and Abe are pushing it to there point where soon there will be no other option but war, and with how Trump is now threatening China that will mean WWIII without a doubt.

This is getting scary now, especially if you live in a major Japanese city. I personally know two foreign families who are leaving Tokyo, giving up good jobs, kids' schools, etc., because of this tension. How long till the trickle of foreigners heading to Haneda and Narita becomes a flood, like in 2011?

Overeaction, much?

And nuclear weapon is the most powerful defensive weapon a country can get these days; the P5 knows it, Israel knows it, Pakistan knows it, India knows it, Ukraine know it now but little bit late.

South Korea still has time

Australia and nz.

modern high tech warfare does just kill hundreds of thousands, add a zero or two.

“Until somebody solves the part of the equation that shows me that ten million people in Seoul don’t die in the first 30 minutes from conventional weapons, I don’t know what you’re talking about, there’s no military solution here, they got us.” -- Steve Bannon

At least he got that right.

Really.....?.... I can think of another major country that has been "funded by the international business sector " in pursuit of its military conflicts a lot more often than China has. Take a guess which one.

well good for you, give yourself a gold star - doesn't matter, china is the issue here.

Japan has few options to tackle N Korea's provocations

Japan has few peaceful, non-military options left to tackle N Korea's provocations. The only thing it can do now is plea for international support for (meaningless and unenforceable) sanctions and embargoes that North Korea and China will ignore and find ways to get around.

So once again it punts to the U.S. to deal with the "problem".

Japan needs to stop imports from China. Of course they won't, unless the US does. But if all allied nations get onboard, guaranteed China will make NK terminate their weapons program.

I honestly don't think boycotting China will guarantee anything. China is already developing its "New Silk Road" program aimed at developing new trade agreements through infrastructure investments in emerging countries. With China building those countries' infrastructure, they will be obligated to China to trade and will vote with China.

China will not force NK to terminate its weapons programs, but will encourage continued development and threats to bring the UN, US and Japan to the negotiation tables for "peace talks" with NK.

China has been recently "unable to exert its influence on North Korea as strongly as Japan, the United States and South Korea expect."

China has no intentions of "exerting its influence" on North Korea to make it "cease and desist."

A Japanese foreign ministry official said North Korea has "brought shame on" Beijing and Xi might take harsh measures against Pyongyang down the road.

Wishful thinking. China has plans for North Korea when it unifies with South Korea. Down the road, there will be a unified Korea with a government aligned with China's ideology. That unified Korea will be powerful enough to upset the balance in the north-east Asia region. With a unified Korea aligned with China, combined with China's "New Silk Road" program, China can easily dominate the entire Asia region, which is it's ultimate aims.

China's New Silk Road aims at economic dominance over a wide area mostly under developed nations that will achieve it's goals well into the future. It hardly has any relevance with respect to present day Chinese exports, the largest destination by far being the US market.