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China-Japan-Koreas
Japan Eyes Cruise Missiles to Attack N. Korea
2013-02-22
Tokyo is eyeing the development of cruise missiles to launch pre-emptive strikes on North Korean missile bases, the Sankei Shimbun reported Wednesday.
They could just buy an export version of the Tomahawk. Call it the 'Tomahawk-J'...
The daily said the Japanese government is likely to put a clause paving the way for such missiles into a revised 10-year defense plan at the end of this year.
That'll make the Chinese happy...
Takeshi Iwaya, a lawmaker who heads a security committee in the ruling Democratic Liberal Party, told party members Tuesday, "Japan relies on the U.S. for the capability to hit enemy bases. Whether Japan can acquire part of that capability will be a major point in the defense plan."

Earlier, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told the Diet that Japan needs to "consider acquiring the means to hit enemy bases in accordance with the changing international political situation."

At present, Japan's pacifist postwar Constitution prohibits it from acquiring pre-emptive attack weapons. In 2004, Tokyo considered developing a cruise missile with a range of 300 km but scrapped the plan due to mounting public concern that they would violate the non-aggression principles.

In 2009, the DLP looked at buying cruise missiles but the plan was shelved when it lost the general election.

But amid a general lurch to the right, Abe recently said striking North Korean missile bases could be considered "self defense" if there are no other ways to deal with such threats.

North Korea is estimated to have 150 to 200 Rodong missiles with a range of 1,300 km. A DLP official told the Sankei Shimbun, "There are concerns that it is not easy to deliver preemptive strikes on specific targets, since North Korea has mobile missiles, but cruise missiles could be used to attack key facilities of the regime."

Experts say Japan is capable of building a long-range missile any time it wants since it already has a rocket that can put a satellite into orbit.
Posted by:Steve White

#13  DEFENCE.PK/FORUMS > [NY Times] CHINESE BOUYS ARE FOCUS OF LATEST DISPUTE OVER CONTESTED ISLANDS.

China has begun marking its alleged territory in ECS wid floating buoys, + Nippon demands to know why.
Posted by: JosephMendiola   2013-02-22 21:05  

#12  Under its post-war Constitution Nippon by same cannot act "offensively" or be a military aggressor - unless it is changed, JAPAN + ITS "DEFENSIVE-ONLY" JSDF IS MOST LIKELY TO BE ON THE RECEIVING END OF ANY NORTH KOREAN = CHINESE PREEMPTIVE OR UNILATERAL FIRST-STRIKE.

[NORTH-KOREA-VS-USS-GEORGE-WASHINGTON-CVN here].

Taken collectively, from various present MSM-Net Artics it would appear that China may not be interested in taking Japan head-on militarily, in part because it desires to keep RUSSIA neutral AMAP ALAP + not militarily involved in a US-China-Japan [ROK?] three-way conflict.

CHINA = TAIWAN IS STILL ITS FOCII, BUT IMO CHINA DESIRES A STARTEGIC COMBAT FRONT FROM TAIWAN ALL THE WAY DOWN TO NORTHERN PHIL + SE ASIA [Taiwan-PHIL-Hainan], N-O-T FROM TAIWAN TO THE DISPUTED DIAOYUS/SENKAKUS. The Diaoyus/Senkakus + Okinawa? is a Secondary Front, not China's primary front despite still being linked to Taiwan???

From the mostly empty NORTHERN PHIL, wid SHORE-BASED ASBMS + PLAAF AIRPOWER the PLA can better defend the Okinawa-Taiwan Straits from incoming USN Nimitz-class CVBGS + USMC EBGS out in WESTPAC while still allowing the PLAN + PLAAF to protect + do battle agz the JSDF in the Sea of Japan.
Posted by: JosephMendiola   2013-02-22 19:05  

#11  C'mon folks ... everybody knows they've got Godzilla !!!
Posted by: Raider   2013-02-22 18:23  

#10  Think long RJ, China has ever been an expansionist entity, it's that our western history is kinda vague on that aspect.
Posted by: Shipman   2013-02-22 14:07  

#9  Who knows, RJ? If we'd have let the Japanese have their way in China during WWII the world might be a better place today.
Posted by: Ebbang Uluque6305   2013-02-22 13:09  

#8  it appears that the 'others' have already fogotten RJ
Posted by: Cretinous Humongous   2013-02-22 11:50  

#7  Oh yeah, the development...

(wink wink)
Posted by: Muggsy Mussolini1226   2013-02-22 11:36  

#6  You wish to Arm Japan, remember the Second World War, and be careful.

You might get what you wished for.
Posted by: Redneck Jim   2013-02-22 10:31  

#5  Or giant fighting robots.
Posted by: SteveS   2013-02-22 09:35  

#4  Water Modem: Or Submarines. Or fighter aircraft.
Posted by: Thing From Snowy Mountain   2013-02-22 08:18  

#3  Taiwan has 1900mph cruise missiles they would likely be happy to co-produce with Japan in exchange for some more tech exchanges like the hi-speed train robot track bed builders they license from Japan.
Posted by: Water Modem   2013-02-22 00:53  

#2  Put Sony in charge of production, make it tight, make it the right price, call it BoomMan.
Posted by: Shipman   2013-02-22 00:49  

#1  Buy some from SKOR?
Posted by: Skidmark   2013-02-22 00:14  

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