JAPAN/FILE: Japan officially orders its Self Defence Forces to shoot down a North Korean rocket if it poses a direct threat to Japan

Record ID: 466182

  • Title: JAPAN/FILE: Japan officially orders its Self Defence Forces to shoot down a North Korean rocket if it poses a direct threat to Japan
  • Date: 31st March 2012
  • Summary: TOKYO, JAPAN (MARCH 30, 2012) (REUTERS) PEOPLE WALKING DOWN STREET MORE OF PEOPLE WALKING DOWN STREET (SOUNDBITE) (Japanese) 68-YEAR-OLD DOCTOR OICHI KAWANAMI SAYING: "I think in terms of the timing of the order, I think it's alright. I think that a lot of Japanese people feel united against threats from outside, so I think we could shoot it down. So I agree with the decision." PEOPLE WALKING DOWN STREET (SOUNDBITE) (Japanese) 49-YEAR-OLD YASUYUKI INOMATA SAYING: "Even if we do shoot it down, there's still the chance that the debris falls down somewhere. So more than anything I just wish they wouldn't launch it at all." STREET IN DOWNTOWN TOKYO (SOUNDBITE) (Japanese) 50-YEAR-OLD MASAMI NAKAYAMA SAYING: "I feel some sense of anger and a kind of betrayal and in a way that we can't trust them."
  • Embargoed: 15th April 2012 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Japan
  • Country: Japan
  • Topics: International Relations,Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVAB9X2LO7FI0TW5H1FH06MKWA1I
  • Story Text: Japan officially ordered its military on Friday (March 30) to shoot down a rocket North Korea plans to launch next month, if it threatens Japanese territory.
    The impoverished North said this month it would use a rocket to launch a weather satellite to mark the 100th anniversary of the birth of Kim Il-sung, the country's founding ruler and grandfather of the current ruler.
    But the United States and other countries, including Japan, say it is much the same as a ballistic missile test and would violate U.N. Security Council resolutions.
    The missile launch is due to take place between April 12-16.
    After a meeting of the Japanese Security Council of Japan, Japan approved orders that allow its Self Defence Forces to shoot down the rocket if it directly threatens Japanese territory.
    "This is an order that deals with the the destruction of ballistic missiles. As such, we will place Aegis equipped vessels in the Sea of Japan and the East China Sea as well as putting PAC3 units in the Tokyo area in addition to the Okinawa main islands, Miyako-jima and Ishigaki-jima. We plan to be fully prepared in the event that it looks to fall on our territory," Japanese Defence Minister Naoki Tanaka explained to parliament after the meeting.
    Japan plans to deploy Aegis radar-equipped destroyers carrying Standard Missile-3 interceptors in the Sea of Japan and the East China Sea, and Patriot Advanced Capability-3 ground-based interceptors on some of Japan's southern islands and in the Tokyo metropolitan area.
    "We can't look back and regret not having taken action because something unexpected happened, so that is why we are looking into taking any and all measures necessary," Tanaka said when explaining why so many forces were being marshalled for the launch.
    Interceptor missiles will be fired only if the North Korean missile or parts of it appear to be falling towards Japanese territory, threatening its people or their property.
    In the run-up to North Korea's launch of a long-range rocket in April 2009, Japan issued a similar order. The rocket flew over Japan and Tokyo did not fire any interceptor missiles.
    In downtown Tokyo, where one unit of PAC3 missiles are to be deployed, some residents, such as 68-year-old Oicihi Kawanami, said that he welcomed the move.
    "I think in terms of the timing of the order, I think it's alright. I think that a lot of Japanese people feel united against threats from outside, so I think we could shoot it down. So I agree with the decision," Kawanami said.
    Others expressed concern that if intercepters are used against the missiles, left-over debris could still rain down on the areas under the flight path.
    "Even if we do shoot it down, there's still the chance that the debris falls down somewhere. So more than anything I just wish they wouldn't launch it at all," said 49-year-old Yasuyuki Inomata.
    With North Korea firing two short-range missiles off its west coast on Thursday (March 29), according to news reports published on Friday (March 30) that quoted South Korean military officials, others expressed shock that North Korea would launch missiles ahead of their planned rocket launch next month.
    "I feel some sense of anger and a kind of betrayal and in a way that we can't trust them," said 50-year-old Masami Nakayama when told about North Korea's recent missile launch.
    Japanese media reported that the Japanese Self Defence Force may begin moving PAC3 units as early as Friday (March 30).
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