North Korea fears
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan warns of nerve-gas threat.
TOKYO — Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe warned Thursday that North Korea may be capable of firing a missile loaded with sarin nerve gas toward Japan.
“There is a possibility that North Korea is already capable of shooting missiles with sarin as warheads,” Abe told a parliamentary panel on national security and diplomacy.
Abe was responding to a question about Japan’s readiness at a time of increased regional tension. A U.S. Navy aircraft carrier is heading toward the Korean Peninsula as North Korea prepares for the 105th anniversary of the birth of its founder, Kim Il Sung, on Saturday. And with U.S.-South Korean war games taking place, North Korea has intensified its rhetoric, warning that it would retaliate strongly against any aggression.
South Korea has long said it believes the North can conduct its sixth nuclear test whenever it chooses. The 38 North website, which monitors North Korea, said satellite imagery of the country’s Punggye-ri nuclear test site suggests it is “primed and ready” for an explosion.
Researchers Joseph Bermudez Jr. and Jack Liu wrote that images taken Wednesday show continued activity around the site’s north portal, as well as personnel and pallets of equipment or supplies in the main administrative area.
North Korea, which never signed the international Chemical Weapons Convention, is believed to have up to 5,000 tons of chemical weapons, according to a South Korean defense document, though the North has never acknowledged it.
Even so, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff downplayed expectations of an imminent nuclear test, with spokesman Roh Jae-cheon telling reporters in Seoul that the military saw no particular signs that North Korea is preparing any provocative actions.
Experts say that if North Korea were to attack South Korea, it would likely target Seoul’s defenses with chemical and biological weapons dropped from aircraft or delivered by missiles, artillery and grenades.
Abe cited Syria, where dozens of people died in an chemical weapon attack, as an example that Japan should take seriously, stressing the need to strengthen its deterrence against the North.
Japan has taken a few steps this week to reassure the public about its effort to protect the public. On Tuesday, the Foreign Ministry issued a travel advisory to Japanese residents and tourists in South Korea, reminding them of growing tensions. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, however, denied any “imminent danger.”
Later Thursday, Abe called a National Security Council meeting to analyze the latest North Korea developments and ways to respond in case of a “provocation” from Pyongyang, said Suga, a council member. North Korea has amassed “substantial amount” of chemical weapons produced at several facilities, he added, without citing sources.
Japan, under its postwar constitution, has limited the role of its military to self-defense only and relied on the U.S. for offensive and nuclear capability. But recently, Abe’s ruling party has proposed that Japan bolster its missile defense, including upgrading the capability to shoot down an enemy missile and acquiring the capacity to attack the base it was fired from.
With U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration not ruling out a military response to deal with North Korea, “tension is certainly rising,” Abe said Wednesday to a group of lawmakers from his ruling party who sought increased safety measures for Japanese citizens in case of an emergency.
Trump told reporters Wednesday that he’s leaning on Chinese President Xi Jinping to put pressure on North Korea to back off its nuclear weapons and missile development. In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, Trump said he offered to ease trade friction with China in exchange for help dealing with North Korea. In an earlier phone call, Xi told Trump that China wants to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula peacefully.
Today, North Korea’s vice foreign minister blamed Trump for building up a “vicious cycle” of tensions on the Korean Peninsula, saying his “aggressive” tweets were “making trouble.”
In an interview with The Associated Press in Pyongyang, Han Song Ryol also said Pyongyang won’t “keep its arms crossed” in the face of a pre-emptive strike by the U.S.
Trump tweeted Tuesday that the North is “looking for trouble.” He added that if China doesn’t do its part to rein in Pyongyang’s nuclear ambitions, the U.S. can handle it.
Wu Dawei, China’s special envoy for Korean Peninsula affairs, will visit North Korea today, the Maeil Business Newspaper reported, citing an unidentified South Korean politician. Wu has been meeting with South Korean government officials and lawmakers in Seoul since April 10.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, meanwhile, made a high-profile appearance highlighting his country’s economic development rather than its adversaries and military might, cutting a ceremonial ribbon to mark the opening of a new high-rise district.