TOKYO • North Korea’s missile development poses a “new level of threat”, Japan’s Defence Ministry warned yesterday in an annual report, days after the newly appointed Defence Minister said he will consider the option of allowing the Self-Defence Forces (SDF) to…
TOKYO • North Korea’s missile development poses a “new level of threat”, Japan’s Defence Ministry warned yesterday in an annual report, days after the newly appointed Defence Minister said he will consider the option of allowing the Self-Defence Forces (SDF) to acquire capability to directly strike North Korean missile bases.
“The threat (from North Korea) is increasing further as it is working to improve the capabilities, ” Mr Itsunori Onodera said, referring to the North’s test launches of its intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) . He spoke to the media last Friday, one day after he took office in a Cabinet reshuffle, The Japan News reported.
“We should consider it from the perspective of what Japan can do to beef up the deterrent capability of the Japan-US alliance and protect the lives and property of the Japanese people, ” said Mr Onodera, according to The Japan Times.
Even as he said that, Mr Onodera was mindful of acts of belligerence, which are banned by Article 9 of the Constitution. He stressed that he will facilitate debate on how to improve “Japan’s overall ability to deal with ballistic missiles”.
Japan, which lies across the sea from North Korea, has been wary for decades over the latter’s missile development. North Korea has increasingly been firing missiles into the waters between the two countries and last month launched two ICMBs.
