Missile on EEZ

On the first day of new Cabinet topped by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea cerebrated it by shooting Japan with a ballistic missile. DPRK launched two missiles to Japan Sea, one of which touched down at 250 kilometers away from Oga Peninsula, Akita, inside Japan’s economic exclusive zone, on Wednesday. It was the first time that a warhead part of missile of North Korea was dropped in Japan’s EEZ. There was no warning in advance from the North. Abe blamed DPRK of intolerable outrage and send his outcry through Embassies in Beijing.

According to Ministry of Defense with information from the South Korean military or Strategic Force of United States, two missiles were No-dongs, mid-range ballistic missile with 1,300 kilometers of shooting distance. Though they were launched from western side of Korean Peninsula, one of them exploded right after the launching. No-dong is known as capable for carrying nuclear warhead and including whole land of Japan within its targeting range.

Having received no early warning, Japanese government could not issue an order of destruction of the missile as it had been doing in previous exercises of missile launching from North Korea. It also failed in delivering J-Alert, a warning system from the central government to local communities for informing emergency. It is confirmed that there was no damage on fishing boats around the point of touch down.

MoD explained to lawmakers of Liberal Democratic Party, not general citizens of Japan, that it would not be recognized as the situation of armed attack, new concept introduced with reinterpretation of Article 9 of Constitution of Japan two years ago, because there was no actual damage. “They are supposed to have been dropped within Japan’s EEZ, being a serious threat on our security. I would resolutely deal with it, keeping close cooperation with international society,” told Abe in his press conference.

It is possible that North Korea was frustrated with a series of pressure from outside, including economic sanction with resolutions in United Nations, decision of deployment of terminal high altitude area defense missile system in U.S. Force in Korean Peninsula, or joint U.S.-South Korea military exercise this month. For some shocks for Japan’s defense community, North Korea revealed its new technology on missile, which was mobile launching missile system on train.

Japanese government realizes new phase of intimidation from North Korea. Mainichi Shimbun reported comment of a governmental official that assumed inability of Japanese defense to shoot down the missile, even if it had been dropped on Japan’s homeland. However, the government cannot determine the reason why DPRK flew the missile to Japan’s EEZ. Japan can calculate neither capability nor intention of North Korea so far.