Japan moves missile system to its northern island of Hokkaido
JAPAN HAS moved a mobile missile-defence system on the northern island of Hokkaido to a base near recent North Korean missile flyover routes.
Defence Minister Itsunori Onodera said a Patriot Advanced Capability-3 interceptor unit was deployed at the Hakodate base on southern Hokkaido “as a precaution” as part of government preparations for a possible emergency.
Tuesday’s relocation came after a North Korean missile was test-fired last week and flew over southern Hokkaido and landed in the Pacific off the island’s east coast, the second flyover in less than a month.
The PAC-3 was brought from another base in Yakumo town on Hokkaido, about 50 miles north east of Hakodate.
The system has a range of about 12 miles.
Four more of Japan’s 34 PAC-3 units, largely used to defend the capital region, were relocated to southwestern Japan recently after North Korea warned of sending missiles toward the US territory of Guam.
Japan currently has a two-step missile defence system.
First, Standard Missile-3 interceptors on Aegis destroyers in the Sea of Japan would attempt to shoot down missiles mid-flight.
If that fails, surface-to-air PAC3s would try to intercept them.
Japan’s Constitution, which limits the use of force to self-defence, only allows the military to shoot down missiles that are heading to Japan, or debris falling onto Japanese territory.
Mr Onodera has said a new security law passed in 2015 might allow it to shoot down a Guambound missile if it poses a critical security threat to Japan and its top ally, the United States.
On September 3, North Korea conducted an underground nuclear test that was by far its most powerful to date.
Last week, North Korea launched an intermediate-range ballistic missile that travelled 2,300 miles and passed over the Japanese island of Hokkaido before landing in the northern Pacific.