Thread Rating:
07-10-2006, 01:33 PM
TOKYO â Japan on Monday was considering a pre-emptive strike against North Korea's missile bases, signaling a firm stance before a possible U.N. Security Council vote on sanctions against the communist-led country.
A vote condemning North Korea might not come for several days as Security Council members continue to wrangle over the type of document to issue and whether or not it will contain the threat of sanctions.
Japan has accepted a request from China to ease pressure on council members to consider its resolution calling for sanctions against Pyongyang, according to a report by the Kyodo News agency.
The request came as China dispatched a high-profile delegation to Pyongyang, continuing diplomatic efforts to get North Korea back to the table for talks on its nuclear weapons program.
U.S. envoy Christopher Hill, who is on a tour of the region to coordinate a common strategy on Pyongyang, met with Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Aso and other officials in Tokyo to discuss how to get North Korea to drop its months-long boycott of the nuclear talks.
North Korea sparked international condemnation last week when it carried out several missile tests. Officials in Japan said they were trying to determine whether a pre-emptive strike against North Korea would be allowed under its pacifist constitution.
"If we accept that there is no other option to prevent an attack ... there is the view that attacking the launch base of the guided missiles is within the constitutional right of self-defense. We need to deepen discussion," said Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe.
CountryWatch: Japan
CountryWatch: North Korea
Japan said Monday it was considering whether a pre-emptive strike on the North's missile bases would violate its constitution, signaling a hardening stance ahead of a possible U.N. Security Council vote on Tokyo's proposal for sanctions against the regime.
Japan was badly rattled by North Korea's missile tests last week and several government officials openly discussed whether the country ought to take steps to better defend itself, including setting up the legal framework to allow Tokyo to launch a pre-emptive strike against Northern missile sites.
"If we accept that there is no other option to prevent an attack ... there is the view that attacking the launch base of the guided missiles is within the constitutional right of self-defense. We need to deepen discussion," Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe said.
Japan's constitution bars the use of military force in settling international disputes and prohibits Japan from maintaining a military for warfare. Tokyo has interpreted that to mean it can have armed troops to protect itself, allowing the existence of its 240,000-strong Self-Defense Forces.
A Defense Agency spokeswoman, however, said Japan has no offensive weapons such as ballistic missiles that could reach North Korea. Its forces only have ground-to-air missiles and ground-to-vessel missiles, she said on condition of anonymity because of official policy.
Japanese fighter jets and pilots are not capable of carrying out such an attack, a military analyst said.
"Japan's air force is top class in defending the nation's airspace, but attacking another country is almost impossible," said analyst Kazuhisa Ogawa.
"Even if Japan's planes made it to North Korea, they wouldn't make it back ... it would be an act of suicide," he said. "Japan has no capacity to wage war."
Despite resistance, Japan, which currently holds a rotating seat on the Security Council, had earlier vowed to push ahead with a resolution that would impose sanctions on North Korea for its missile tests last week.
China and Russia, both nations with veto power on the council, had voiced opposition to the measure and had suggested issuing a presidential statement instead.
Meanwhile, a Chinese delegation including the country's top nuclear envoy -- Vice Foreign Minister Wu Dawei -- arrived Monday in North Korea, officially to attend celebrations marking the 45th anniversary of a friendship treaty between the North and China.
The U.S. is urging Beijing to push its communist ally back into six-party nuclear disarmament talks, but the Chinese government has not said whether Wu would bring up the negotiations. A ministry spokeswoman said last week that China was "making assiduous efforts" in pushing for the talks to resume.
Talks have been deadlocked since November because of a boycott by Pyongyang in protest of a crackdown by Washington on the regime's alleged money-laundering and other financial crimes.
Beijing has suggested an informal gathering of the six nations, which could allow the North to technically stand by its boycott, but at the same time meet with the other five parties -- South Korea, China, the U.S., Japan and Russia. The U.S. has backed the idea and said Washington could meet with the North on the sidelines of such a meeting.
Still, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill questioned just how influential Beijing was with the enigmatic regime.
"I must say the issue of China's influence on DPRK is one that concerns us," Hill told reporters in Tokyo. "China said to the DPRK, 'Don't fire those missiles,' but the DPRK fired them. So I think everybody, especially the Chinese, are a little bit worried about it."
The DPRK refers to the North's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
Hill is touring the region to coordinate strategy on North Korea. He has emphasized the need for countries involved to present a united front.
"We want to make it very clear that we all speak in one voice on this provocative action by the North Koreans to launch missiles in all shapes and sizes," Hill said. "We want to make it clear to North Korea that what it did was really unacceptable."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
A vote condemning North Korea might not come for several days as Security Council members continue to wrangle over the type of document to issue and whether or not it will contain the threat of sanctions.
Japan has accepted a request from China to ease pressure on council members to consider its resolution calling for sanctions against Pyongyang, according to a report by the Kyodo News agency.
The request came as China dispatched a high-profile delegation to Pyongyang, continuing diplomatic efforts to get North Korea back to the table for talks on its nuclear weapons program.
U.S. envoy Christopher Hill, who is on a tour of the region to coordinate a common strategy on Pyongyang, met with Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Aso and other officials in Tokyo to discuss how to get North Korea to drop its months-long boycott of the nuclear talks.
North Korea sparked international condemnation last week when it carried out several missile tests. Officials in Japan said they were trying to determine whether a pre-emptive strike against North Korea would be allowed under its pacifist constitution.
"If we accept that there is no other option to prevent an attack ... there is the view that attacking the launch base of the guided missiles is within the constitutional right of self-defense. We need to deepen discussion," said Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe.
CountryWatch: Japan
CountryWatch: North Korea
Japan said Monday it was considering whether a pre-emptive strike on the North's missile bases would violate its constitution, signaling a hardening stance ahead of a possible U.N. Security Council vote on Tokyo's proposal for sanctions against the regime.
Japan was badly rattled by North Korea's missile tests last week and several government officials openly discussed whether the country ought to take steps to better defend itself, including setting up the legal framework to allow Tokyo to launch a pre-emptive strike against Northern missile sites.
"If we accept that there is no other option to prevent an attack ... there is the view that attacking the launch base of the guided missiles is within the constitutional right of self-defense. We need to deepen discussion," Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe said.
Japan's constitution bars the use of military force in settling international disputes and prohibits Japan from maintaining a military for warfare. Tokyo has interpreted that to mean it can have armed troops to protect itself, allowing the existence of its 240,000-strong Self-Defense Forces.
A Defense Agency spokeswoman, however, said Japan has no offensive weapons such as ballistic missiles that could reach North Korea. Its forces only have ground-to-air missiles and ground-to-vessel missiles, she said on condition of anonymity because of official policy.
Japanese fighter jets and pilots are not capable of carrying out such an attack, a military analyst said.
"Japan's air force is top class in defending the nation's airspace, but attacking another country is almost impossible," said analyst Kazuhisa Ogawa.
"Even if Japan's planes made it to North Korea, they wouldn't make it back ... it would be an act of suicide," he said. "Japan has no capacity to wage war."
Despite resistance, Japan, which currently holds a rotating seat on the Security Council, had earlier vowed to push ahead with a resolution that would impose sanctions on North Korea for its missile tests last week.
China and Russia, both nations with veto power on the council, had voiced opposition to the measure and had suggested issuing a presidential statement instead.
Meanwhile, a Chinese delegation including the country's top nuclear envoy -- Vice Foreign Minister Wu Dawei -- arrived Monday in North Korea, officially to attend celebrations marking the 45th anniversary of a friendship treaty between the North and China.
The U.S. is urging Beijing to push its communist ally back into six-party nuclear disarmament talks, but the Chinese government has not said whether Wu would bring up the negotiations. A ministry spokeswoman said last week that China was "making assiduous efforts" in pushing for the talks to resume.
Talks have been deadlocked since November because of a boycott by Pyongyang in protest of a crackdown by Washington on the regime's alleged money-laundering and other financial crimes.
Beijing has suggested an informal gathering of the six nations, which could allow the North to technically stand by its boycott, but at the same time meet with the other five parties -- South Korea, China, the U.S., Japan and Russia. The U.S. has backed the idea and said Washington could meet with the North on the sidelines of such a meeting.
Still, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill questioned just how influential Beijing was with the enigmatic regime.
"I must say the issue of China's influence on DPRK is one that concerns us," Hill told reporters in Tokyo. "China said to the DPRK, 'Don't fire those missiles,' but the DPRK fired them. So I think everybody, especially the Chinese, are a little bit worried about it."
The DPRK refers to the North's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
Hill is touring the region to coordinate strategy on North Korea. He has emphasized the need for countries involved to present a united front.
"We want to make it very clear that we all speak in one voice on this provocative action by the North Koreans to launch missiles in all shapes and sizes," Hill said. "We want to make it clear to North Korea that what it did was really unacceptable."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
[YOUTUBE="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Y2Ezx8SnN0"][/YOUTUBE]
[YOUTUBE="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Y2Ezx8SnN0"][/YOUTUBE]
![[-]](https://bluegrassrivals.com/forum/images/lifestyle/collapse.png)
07-10-2006, 03:50 PM
North Korea is wanting us to start a war... so I don't think we should jump into anything too quick
07-10-2006, 04:38 PM
15thRegionCrazy Wrote:North Korea is wanting us to start a war... so I don't think we should jump into anything too quick
True, but if Japan starts trouble, we have to take their back
QB Challenge Champion, Just Pitching Champion, Midi Golf Champion- My Greatest Accomplishments in Life
07-10-2006, 06:31 PM
BCF4L Wrote:I say we blow up the whole country and knock it off the map. Then we don't have to worry about them anymore.
We need to grow a pair and do exactly that
QB Challenge Champion, Just Pitching Champion, Midi Golf Champion- My Greatest Accomplishments in Life
07-10-2006, 07:21 PM
BCF4L Wrote:I say we blow up the whole country and knock it off the map. Then we don't have to worry about them anymore.
See this is what I've been saying the whole time about Afghanastan and Iraq. Then we wouldn't have to track Osama through caves, we'd just whip out him and all of his followers. Heck maybe we should just do that to all of the Eastern hemisphere!!! And then everyone's always like but what about the innocent people, hmm they should have thought about the innocent people on those plans in the WTC's that day. But they didn't. :igiveup:
07-11-2006, 10:35 AM
The Blue Blur Wrote:See this is what I've been saying the whole time about Afghanastan and Iraq. Then we wouldn't have to track Osama through caves, we'd just whip out him and all of his followers. Heck maybe we should just do that to all of the Eastern hemisphere!!! And then everyone's always like but what about the innocent people, hmm they should have thought about the innocent people on those plans in the WTC's that day. But they didn't. :igiveup:Me and my girlfriend were on this same discussion about why the US doesn't just blow up everyone. She also talked about the innocent people in those countries. I mentioned how they killed our innocent people but she said that it wasn't their innocent people that killed ours. So we got into this argument about it. But I agree that they killed our innocent people so who cares about theirs.
07-11-2006, 04:11 PM
I don't believe that Japan has the offensive capabilities to attack another country and only the defensive forces to protect them against attack. This is from agreements signed after WWII. I could be wrong but I would just about bet the farm they are sold jets in the near future by the US. North Korea has been doing things like this for many years and I really do not think they would want to get into a war with the United States.
Users browsing this thread: 1 Guest(s)
