The Philippine Embassy in Japan does not see the ballistic missile threat of North Korea as an immediate cause of concern for Japanese and overseas Filipino workers in the country, taking note of Japan’s preparations. Deputy Chief of Mission Eduardo Meñez, the Philippine ambassador to Japan…
TOKYO — The Philippine Embassy in Japan does not see the ballistic missile threat of North Korea as an immediate cause of concern for Japanese and overseas Filipino workers in the country, taking note of Japan’s preparations.
Deputy Chief of Mission Eduardo Meñez, the Philippine ambassador to Japan, said this on Friday, in an interview with reporters two days before North Korea launched its first ballistic missile test on Sunday afternoon for the first time since the election of South Korean President Moon Jae-in.
According to a BBC report, the attack was launched near north western Kusong and landed in the sea of Japan. A Reuters report, meanwhile, said the missile fell around 400 kms from the east coast of North Korea.
Also projected as North Korea’s target, aside from South Korea and the US Pacific Command in Hawai’ i，are certain parts of Japan, mainly Okinawa.
Recent statistics from the Japanese government have counted around 270,000 Filipinos residing in Japan, Meñez noted. This made the Filipinos the third largest foreign population in Japan after the Chinese and the South Koreans, he added.
”Japan is prepared… The Filipinos and the general public in Japan are aware of the increasing threat of North Korea to the region but at the level of public, the level of worry is not very high… The Filipinos are as safe as the Japanese. ” he said.
Meñez noted that North Korea has been conducting missile tests for the past several years since 2012, hence Japan has long prepared for contingencies. The frequency of the launch increased particularly in 2016 under the administration of its president Kim Jong Un. “The threat is not as present as in South Korea, ” he added.
“At this point in time, I do not believe there is a sense of fear from the Filipino community. They basically mirror what the Japanese public do. Actually far from feeling threatened, more and more Filipiinos are coming to Japan… (recently around 30 to 40 percent growth in tourist arrivals) ” the ambassador said.
No worries
Lily Tan, 63, one of the hotel workers at the Hotel New Otani in Tokyo and residing in the city for 36 years, said “the threat is not much of a concern. It is too far. If I will go home, it is not because of the missiles, but of homesick. I had been married to a Japanese who died 10 years ago, ” she said. She has a child in the Philippines and would go back to the Philippines in two years
“If the Lord permits it to happen, it will happen. May he help us. As of now, there is no perceived threat here. Is there in the Philippines?” she asked.
‘Prepared’
“According to the Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution, Japan’s armed forces is limited only to national defense, ” said Lonny Carlile, professor director of the Center for Japanese Studies at the University of Hawai’ i.
“Japan, a more likely target because of its distance to North Korea,
would be taking incremental steps at a time, and confidence building
approach, ” he added.
Meñez said the Japanese government has prepared and has maintained a “well-established” system of response to different threats both man-made, such as terrorism, and natural threats such as disasters. The Japanese public is also well-informed about their alert systems.
Carlile said it would only take 10 minutes for one of these missiles to get from Pyongyang to Japan.
That means, it will only take 10 minutes for the Japanese public to secure themselves before the entry of whatever missile into the area of responsibility, according to Meñez.
Asked if the contingency efforts were enough, he added: “Well, that is the best thing you can do under those circumstances.”
“The Japanese, I believe, have prepositioned a modified patriot missile capability. So if there is a missile that is launched whether deliberate, or test attack, the military will also have the capability to shoot out incoming missiles, ” Menez said.
Apart from the possible missile threats from North Korea, China’s possible missile attack on Japan is also perceived threat, according to Takahiro Otsuka, a journalist from the Fuji Television network.
In a recent panel discussion with Southeast Asian journalists, Japanese journalists said Japan has been anchoring its security on the United States as one of its strong allies.
“Our military defense is not that strong. We have not sent military forces since World War II, ” Otsuka said. SFM
