‘Duck and cover’ drill for May in Japan
‘All options on the table’ says US president as world condemns missile launch over Japanese airspace
THERESA MAY will be told to follow a “duck and cover” drill if there is a 10-minute warning of a North Korean missile attack during her three-day visit to Japan, which starts today.
The Prime Minister said yesterday she was “outraged” by Kim Jong-un’s “reckless provocation” in firing a ballistic missile over Japan for the first time, but insisted she would not be changing her itinerary.
Pyongyang’s launch early yesterday provoked a flurry of diplomatic activity among world leaders as Donald Trump once again signalled he had a range of military options with which to respond to the repeated provocations.
“Threatening and destabilising actions only increase the North Korean regime’s isolation in the region and among all nations of the world. All options are on the table,” he said.
Matthew Rycroft, the UK ambassador to the UN, described North Korea’s actions as “illegal, provocative, outrageous and reckless”, and called on the Security Council to increase sanctions.
Speaking at the UN in New York where the council was holding an emergency meeting last night, he told reporters: “The UK stands with Japan at this difficult time and we stand with all the countries who want to make sure that international law prevails over a brutal dictatorship.”
Kim Jong-un’s regime insists it will not give up its nuclear weapons, saying they are the only way to protect itself from the US and its allies. In recent months it has accelerated its tests as it tries to develop a nuclear missile capable of reaching the mainland US.
It means that Mrs May, who lands in Kyoto this morning after an overnight flight from London, will have to follow Japan’s emergency response drill if another missile is unleashed.
The J-alert warning system issues early warnings via mobile phones and loudspeakers if a missile is thought to be inbound.
Mrs May will spend a significant part of her visit discussing North Korea with Shinzo Abe, the Japanese prime minister. Mrs May said: “These are illegal tests, we strongly condemn them and we will be working with Japan and other international partners to ensure that pressure is put on North Korea to stop this illegal action.”
The primary aim of the visit is to start a “new era” of British trade and influence in Asia and Mrs May will be accompanied by 15 business leaders including the chief executives of Standard Life Investment, the Scotch Whisky Association and Aston Martin.
Mrs May will discuss a postbrexit trade deal with Japan and also shore up the UK’S position as Japan’s strongest security ally in Europe.
DONALD TRUMP has signalled once again that he is considering military action against North Korea after the pariah state yesterday tested world patience by launching a ballistic missile over Japan for the first time.
The launch of the Hwasong-12 intermediate-range missile was supervised by Kim Jong-un, the official Korean Central News Agency reported, the first time it had acknowledged the test.
It “crossed the sky above Oshima peninsula of Hokkaido and Cape Erimo of Japan along the preset flight track and accurately hit the preset target wa- ters in northern Pacific”, it said. “The drill had no impact on the security of the neighbouring countries,” KCNA insisted, adding that Kim expressed “great satisfaction” over the launch.
There would be “more ballistic rocket launching drills with the Pacific as a target in the future”, it cited him as saying.
Mr Trump, meanwhile, said: “The world has received North Korea’s latest message loud and clear: this regime has signalled its contempt for its neighbours, for all members of the United Nations, and for minimum standards of acceptable international behaviour.
“Threatening and destabilising actions only increase the North Korean regime’s isolation in the region and among all nations of the world,” adding: “All options are on the table.”
US military planners have a range of options, from pre-emptive strikes to destroy missiles before they can be launched to an assault designed to bring about regime change. The latest launch was particularly provocative. Not only was it the first time North Korea has fired a ballistic missile over Japan, it came days after Mr Trump said his hardline approach to Pyongyang was working. Earlier this month, he promised “fire and fury” would meet further North Korean provocations. Nikki Haley, the US permanent representative to the UN, demanded immediate Security Council action. “No country should have missiles flying over them like those 130 million people in Japan. It’s unacceptable,” she said, calling on China and Russia to work with other nations to rein in the threat.
China – which has long hoped that negotiations could settle the crisis – admitted that the test could be a “tipping point”.
Theresa May added her condemnation as she prepared to set off for a three-day visit to Japan. A Downing Street spokesman said: “The Prime Minister is outraged by North Korea’s reckless provocation and she strongly condemns these illegal tests.”
South Korea, meanwhile, released a video of its military conducting live fire drills, with explosions, fighter jets and an air force officer warning they “will exterminate the leadership of North Korea” if their country is threatened. The launch of the missile sparked deep anxiety in Japan where residents were told to take cover.
The missile sparked a frantic round of diplomatic activity. Shinzo Abe, the Japanese prime minister, said he had a 40-minute phone conversation with Mr Trump shortly after the missile splashed into the Pacific after breaking up following its 1,700 mile journey.
He described it as a “reckless act”, adding: “This launch of a North Korean missile is an unprecedented serious and grave threat to Japan. Japan’s and the US positions are totally at one.”
The UN Security Council held an emergency meeting yesterday.
South Korea conducted live fire drills which saw four F-15 fighters drop eight MK-84 bombs that hit targets at a military field near South Korea’s eastern coast. Seoul also released footage of its own missile tests it says were conducted last week.