Preparing for Electromagnetic Pulse

The latest nuclear test by North Korea last Sunday brought new concern on defense strategy of Japan, United States or South Korea. The statement of reporting of Kim Jong-il’s inspection of hydrogen bomb test argued that what they exploded was thermal nuclear warhead for electromagnetic pulse attack. EMP can disturb computer networks in broad area when it is exploded at high altitude in the sky. Japan began to consider possible measures, regarding it as a new threat.

EMP is electromagnetic wave produced by exclusion of electron from molecule of nitrogen or oxygen, when gamma ray falls from the outer space to surface of the Earth. As electronic device is broken in lightening of thunderbolt, strong EMP can destroy electronic devices by sending heavy electric flow inside the cables. EMP capability of North Korea can supposedly destroy thousands kilometers of electric supply or information network in one explosion.

While EMP attack does not directly kill people or break building, it may destroy entire social infrastructure including electricity, information or transportation. According to an article of Yomiuri Shimbun, a report to US Congress warned that 90% of US citizens would die with serious epidemic and starvation as a consequence of social infrastructure breakdown for a long reconstruction period, causing scarcity of food, fuel or medicine and deteriorated sanitation.

Chief Cabinet Secretary, Yoshihide Suga, announced that Japanese government would start earnest study to protect information or communication system from EMP attack. “We are collecting and analyzing related information with serious concern,” told Suga in a press conference. “We would like to consider necessary measures to minimize the impact on people’s life as preparation for even a small possibility of actual EMP attack.”

Ministry of Defense requested ¥1.4 billion for studying EMP attack in FY 2018 budget. The Ministry is going to make prototype of EMP warhead by 2020 and exercise evaluation test in 2021. Through researching the impact on electronic devices, the Ministry will develop defensive measures against EMP. Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry is going to study the impact on electric power plant and Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transportation and Tourism will research how it affects transportation system.

Highly advanced technological society is vulnerable to cyber attack. North Korea made new kind of intimidation, focusing on the nature of its enemies. Hardliner policy of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe looks like only escalating the level of threat.