You have commented 339 times on Rantburg.

Your Name
Your e-mail (optional)
Website (optional)
My Original Nic        Pic-a-Nic        Sorry. Comments have been closed on this article.
Bold Italic Underline Strike Bullet Blockquote Small Big Link Squish Foto Photo
Submit your comments on this article
Korea
North Korea accuses Japan of planning nuclear attack. Really.
2004-01-22
North Korea on Wednesday attacked Japan’s moves to build up its missile defence system as part of a planned nuclear strike against Pyongyang.
That statement makes no sense.
The official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said “Japan is now rounding off its nuclear weaponisation at its final phase” and was capable of producing “thousands of nuclear warheads” overnight. This can not be construed (as anything other) than part of its plan to mount a preemptive nuclear attack on the DPRK.”
I've no doubt Japan has the technological wherewithal to produce nuclear weapons if it wanted to, and perhaps even "overnight." There's not the slighest indication that they plan on doing so, and every indication they aren't.
Japan last month decided to adopt ballistic missile defence (BMD) systems to protect itself from emerging terrorist threats, weapons of mass destruction and North Korean missiles. Japan will introduce a US-developed system for now and continue to conduct joint research with the United States to improve its missile defences, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda said in a statement.
To me, that sounds like an eminently logical thing to do, especially for a country whose neighbors like to shoot missiles over its territory...
Japanese “reactionaries” are making much ado about the “fictitious” nuclear and missile threats from North Korea in a bid to justify their moves for nuclear weaponisation, KCNA added. In reply, the communist state would build a “strong nuclear deterrence” to cope with threats from the United States and Japan.
The missile threat from NKor is "fictitous," even though they said they were developing nuclear weapons and were going to present us with a sea of fire. So NKor should therefore develop a non-fictitious nuclear threat... My head is aching.
North Korea fired a suspected ballistic missile over Japan and into the Pacific in 1998, prompting Tokyo to launch joint research with the United States to develop missile defence systems the following year.
"Lookitdat, Kazuo!"
"Dang! What is it?"
"I suspect it's a ballistic missile."
"Holmes! How do you do it?"
Posted by:Fred Pruitt

#3  Yeah, but the Norkies have the big edge in Super Rock Technology. They can probably "produce thousands of them overnight".
Posted by: tu3031   2004-1-22 9:32:53 PM  

#2  The NORKS threatened "sea of fire," nuclear weapons production, etc etc. and the world yawned. The Norks blew a missile over Japan and woke up the sleeping samurai. Now the Norks are trying to transfer the attention to Japan's defensive missile system buildup. Everyone is still yawning. We are cutting off the Nork means of WMD foreign exchange. Now all we have to do is to deal with the enablers (PRC and SKor) who are propping this piece of inhumane s--t regime up. That is the real issue here in solving the Nork problem.
Posted by: Alaska Paul   2004-1-22 8:13:30 PM  

#1  North Korea on Wednesday attacked Japan’s moves to build up its missile defence system as part of a planned nuclear strike against Pyongyang.

This is the same line of "reasoning" that has been used by opponents of ballistic missile defenses here in the US.
Posted by: Robert Crawford   2004-1-22 3:34:34 PM  

00:00