The Japanese government issued an alert to Hokkaido residents at 8 am local time, following the launch of a North Korean missile. For context, North Korea is seen by the democratic world as a volatile fascist regime under Kim Jong Un, which has support from China. This is a complex issue that stems from the Korean war of the early 1950’s. The end of the war saw the division of Korea into North Korea, under the dictatorship of the Kim dynasty and South Korea which chose democracy. Ever since then Korea has been the hot bed of a possible conflict, with a demilitarized zone dividing the two sides. As mentioned earlier, the north has China behind it, while the south has the west on its side, specifically the United States. This has made them proxies to a conflict between the two major super powers. Japan is caught in the mix because it is the biggest player in the South China Sea among the western allies. Hence any action taken by North Korean or China, in this region would be aimed at Japan first and foremost. Japan has also seen a steady escalation of tensions with China due to its penchant for claiming regions that are considered Japanese territory or open international waters.
As tensions continue to rise in the region with an increase in Chinese air force sorties around Taiwan, ballistic nuclear missile tests by North Korean and the presence of America’s pacific fleet in the region, the South China Sea looks like a hot mess about to spill over and Japan is right on the edge.
This is why the launch of a missile by North Korea, supposedly aimed at the city of Hokkaido, is seen as a blatant provocation by the Japanese. Thankfully, the missile did not hit Hokkaido, although where it did land is still a mystery. Japanese authorities have denied access to this information as of yet, siting it as a matter of national security. Possibly to avoid the initiation of a conflict in the region. It is yet to be seen how the western allies will respond and what the official line of the North Korean leader will be. Regardless, tensions are high as every party involved seems to be gearing up for a conflict with bated breaths. Something like a missile launch could be the perfect catalyst for absolute chaos in the region.
While northern Japan was on high alert, South Korea chimed in as well calling the launch a ‘grave provocation’. According to South Korean estimates, the ballistic missile travelled a distance of 1000 kms and had an apogee of 3000 kms. This is less than the apogee of missile tested previously by the North, which topped out at 6000 kms. The South Korean military has been put on high alert, as it co-ordinates with the United States, its primary ally. The military’s preliminary analysis, of the projectile’s trajectory and range, confirms that it was a solid fuel missile.
Regardless, the situation caused panic among the nuclear envoys of the western allies. Japan immediately called a National Security Council meeting following the 7:23 am launch. Japanese authorities withdrew the alert on Hokkaido after it was confirmed that the missile wouldn’t hit the city. As students in the city found out about the alert and subsequent train suspensions, they saw a state of panic take over the city.
This move has come just days after the North Korean leader made a statement against what he called ‘American aggression’. He made it clear that he intended to find ‘a more practical and offensive manner’ to counter the United States in the region. The United States have said that the door to diplomacy is not closed provided Pyongyang abandons its destabilizing actions. North Korea have criticized the recent joint exercises conducted by US and South Korean forces in the region, a major thorn in the side of the North Korea-China block.