Wow! Japan says they are considering a pre-emptive strike on N. Korea, any thoughts?

Answer 1

The news is very interesting. It appears that Kim Jong ill's little blackmail game has essentially backfired. Instead of getting concessions they are now reaping threats back at them. Though I have yet to hear of a proclamation from the Japanese Diet that will allow something like this...technically the Japanese Constitution prohibits declaring war and fighting one unless in self-defence. Of course legally speaking North Korea + Nukes + missiles = danger to Japan and probable justification for an attack. But the other poster is also correct in saying that a more assertive Japan may spook...if not scare China and South Korea as well as NoKor. If Japan pulls through with this threat then it looks like the critical crisis that everyone has been speculating about may actually come true...

Answer 2

This does not suprise me. The current Prime Minister is part of a wing of his party that supports a rollback of certain prohibitions in the Japanese Constitution. Over the last few years Japan's Diet (their Parlament) has been asked to support a number of Constitutional changes in regards to the armed forces and has approved most of them. Most noteably the Diet let Japanese Self Defense Forces go and support the mission in Iraq.

I've been on two tours of duty with the US Navy in Japan and have seen a slow move towards change. The Japanese have the capablility to switch to an offensive force if the Governement would approve it, but only in technology. Their armed forces, especially ground troops, are pretty behind the curve on training. This would change if they felt they needed to go offensive, and North Korea would give them the excuse.

What China would do about all this remains to be seen, but they and the Koreas (both North AND South) would not like to see fully offensive capable and remilitarized Japan (though I think it would be just fine).....

Answer 3

Really? I heard that it was AMERICA that was considering a pre-emptive strike...! But considering Bush's reputation as a war-mongering islamophobe I doubt if it will happen - plus NK has no oil, so why would Bush bother? There are NO natural resources to plunder, and no Muslims to rape, murder, or torture!
; )

Japan isn't going to pre-emptively strike anyone - look what happened last time...!

Answer 4

Well lets hope that Japan can do it but Japan cant have any nukes so if North Korea fights back with nukes America has to help Japan because Japan isnt allowed any nukes because what happened in world war 2

Answer 5

The U. S. showed a bad example with Afghanistan and Iraq (especially when ignoring the UN's approval), and now everybody will refer to these preventive strikes when attacking someone.
I don't think North Korea is really a potential danger in this case (but she is in case of terrorism).

Answer 6

No. The Japanese constitution doesn't allow pre-emptive strike.
However I am sure that Bush will order it to the US navy or air force in the future.

Answer 7

super thought. genuinely ensures a nuclear conflict in Asia. might desire to they be triumphant? properly, the jap military is supported by ability of the US, and that they even have the technologies to hit a rustic some hundred miles away. in spite of if Japan does not have nukes, it has different extreme explosives. Granted, if North Korea does have nuclear weapons like it says it does, Japan could have the distinction of being the only u . s . interior the international to get attacked by ability of atomic/nuclear weapons not as quickly as yet two times. yet, a minimum of, that ends the waiting around to confirm if there is going to be a WW-III.

Answer 8

That is very true considering the recent missile tests. But this is just the beginning.

Answer 9

Well at least N. Korea is getting warned...

Answer 10

Sabre-rattling.

If they were seriously considering such an attack - they would not have said anything.