This Is A Drill

Against basic prediction of few days’ moratorium, North Korea launched a missile over the sky of Okinawa to South China Sea in the Sunday morning as soon as moving the schedule of the test. While Japanese government denounced the North’s unilateral behavior in nuclear development, no deterrence worked against the despotic state. Happy enough for Japan, it resulted in a drill, whether or not successful.

The missile, which North Korea asserted earth observation satellite Kwangmyongsong 4, was launched from Tongchang-ri site on 9:31 a.m. The rocket dropped its launchers on East China Sea, passing over Okinawa and its neighbor islands, and touched down on South China Sea. “We cannot tolerate the forced launching of missile by North Korea, in spite of our repeated request to refrain from it. Following nuclear test, this missile launching obviously violated the resolutions of United Nations. We will decisively deal with it, cooperating to international society. We will also make every effort to maintain safety of our nation and keep the people relieved,” told Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to the press.

So, were the Japanese people relieved with the measures of Japanese government taken against the intimidation? First of all, the news of missile launching was announced to the people in Okinawa and its neighbor islands few minutes later through an alert system called J-alert. Speakers set in the forty-one cities and towns in Okinawa Prefecture noticed the people with loud voice that a missile was launched from North Korea.

How was the missile defense? Japanese government laid two-layered defense; SM-3 anti-missile system loaded on an Aegis vessel and surface-to-air missile system called Patriot Advanced Capability-3. Both systems were not activated this time, despite destruction measures order from Minister of Defense, leaving a question over their reliability. Here is a scenario: American satellite early warning detects the launch, Japanese ground radar system follows the missile, SM-3 attempts destroying it in outer space and PAC-3 will strike it near the ground after the failure of SM-3. No one is sure about the technology so far.

Can Japanese government avoid the recurrence? “We will further reinforce our cooperation with United States, South Korea, China, Russia and the international society,” told Chief Cabinet Secretary, Yoshihide Suga. Japan with U.S. and South Korea, is requesting new resolution against the North’s nuclear and missile test to U.N. But, China is still reluctant to lay economic sanction. It is mostly hopeless for Japanese government to have strict sanctions against North Korea, even how it enhances its independent sanction. It was proved that Japanese government could do only a few things against nuclear development of North Korea in the drill over missile launching.