The simultaneous launch of four missiles by North Korea might have been a simulation of a “saturation attack” that would be difficult for Japan to repel, one analyst said.
TOKYO — The apparent success of four simultaneous missile launchings by North Korea on Monday raised new alarms about the threat to its neighbors and its progress toward developing an ability to overcome their ballistic missile defense systems, including those that have yet to be deployed.
According to the South Korean military, North Korea launched four ballistic missiles from its long-range rocket launch site on Monday morning. In Japan , analysts said the launches suggested that North Korea could pose a more serious threat than indicated by previous tests.
“That would mean a lot in terms of the defense of Tokyo, because North Korea might have been conducting a simulation of a ‘saturation attack’ in which they launch a number of missiles simultaneously in order to saturate the missile defense that Japan has,” said Narushige Michishita, director of the Security and International Studies Program at the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies in Tokyo. “It would be difficult for Japan to shoot down four missiles all at the same time because of our limited missile defense.”
The missile tests came three weeks after North Korea tested a missile during a visit to the United States by Japan’s prime minister, Shinzo Abe, to meet with President Trump.
The launch on Monday happened as the United States and South Korea were conducting their annual joint military exercise. North Korea calls such drills a rehearsal for invasion and has often responded by conducting missile tests.
Japan’s Coast Guard sent out navigation warnings and stepped up air and sea patrols on Monday after three of the missiles landed within the country’s so-called exclusive economic zone, where fishing and cargo ships are active.
