Tensions in the East

Military tensions are heightening between the United States and North Korea. The Japanese government must take all possible measures to prepare for any contingency.

The USS Carl Vinson nuclear-powered aircraft carrier is heading northward to waters near the Korean Peninsula. Two missile-carrying destroyers departing from the U.S. west coast are said to be joining it. U.S. President Donald Trump referred also to the dispatch of submarines.

Trump wrote on Twitter: “If China decides to help, that would be great. If not, we will solve the problem without them.”

The United States is ramping up pressure on North Korea without ruling out the option to take unilateral military action. It is understandable that the United States is trying to deter North Korea’s nuclear tests and other provocative actions by force while calling on China to be proactively engaged, including in imposing strict sanctions, to solve the North Korean problem.

Nevertheless, it is hard to predict how the regime of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, which is adamantly pursuing nuclear and missile development, will respond.

Tokyo requested that Washington consult Japan before taking any military action. Washington will reportedly comply with the request for such prior consultation.

If North Korea is attacked, the possibility is not small that the North will take retaliatory actions such as firing ballistic missiles toward Japan. The most capable interception system must be prepared within a short amount of time.