Japan Strongly Alarmed by N. Korean Missile Firing into EEZ

Tokyo, Aug. 3 (Jiji Press)--North Korea's firing of a medium-range ballistic missile into the Japanese Exclusive Economic Zone on Wednesday heightened a sense of crisis within the Japanese government. The latest missile launch came without the prior deployment of missile defense systems, including Patriot Advanced Capability-3, or PAC-3, surface-to-air guided missile units, by the Japanese Self-Defense Forces. The North Korean missile is believed to be the Nodong, which can be launched from outside military facilities by using so-called transporter-erector-launcher, or TEL, vehicles. It is therefore difficult to detect signs of Nodong launches, even through satellite monitoring, experts say. The Nodong is estimated to have a range of 1,300 kilometers, almost covering all Japanese territory. "It's a ballistic missile targeting Japan," a senior official at the Japanese Defense Ministry said. The latest launch "may have been aimed at upsetting Japan," a senior Japanese Foreign Ministry official said. Meanwhile, Masao Okonogi, Keio University professor emeritus with deep knowledge about Korean Peninsula affairs, said the missile launch appeared to be a warning to U.S. Forces in Japan, since it flew toward U.S. Misawa Air Base in Aomori Prefecture, northeastern Japan. Okonogi also said the missile launch may have been a signal that Pyongyang will now refrain from nuclear tests and work to mend fences with Beijing, after an easing of domestic tensions in North Korea following the end of the closely watched congress of its ruling party in May. With North Korea believed to have already deployed Nodong missiles, the Japanese government plans to further strengthen surveillance, including through the deployment of Aegis destroyers capable of shooting down missiles in the Sea of Japan. "North Korea's missile development has entered a new stage. We should increase our vigilance," a Japanese government source said. END