# Japan Threatens to Attack North Korea! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 14, 2003, 6:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japan-threatens-to-attack-north-korea/155014 "2003-02-14T06:54:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2003, 6:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japan-threatens-to-attack-north-korea/155014/1 "2003-02-14T06:54:12Z")
[Yikes!](http://www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/asiapcf/east/02/13/nkorea.nuclear/index.html) > [@](#): > > “Our nation will use military force as a self-defense measure if [North Korea] started to resort to arms against Japan,” he said, adding that Japan could regard the process of injecting fuel into a missile as the start of military attack. I thought that the Japanese constitution prevented Japan from launching a pre-emptive attack. After all, NK might be fueling up the missile for a test. What will the rest of the world do if Japan goes after North Korea. Obviously one side or the other will attempt to draw the US in the conflict. (Not hard for NK to do, they just have to lob a couple of artillery shells at Seoul.) Is this strictly posturing on the part of Japan or are they serious about this? ---
**Author:** ![Skip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ebca7d/32.png) [@Skip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skip)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2003, 8:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japan-threatens-to-attack-north-korea/155014/2 "2003-02-14T08:21:13Z")
The ‘started to resort to arms against Japan’ makes it sound as if it would be a defensive action. Although technically, a pre-emptive strike could be seen as defensive (ala Israel 1967) ---
**Author:** ![China\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@China\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/China_Guy)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2003, 12:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japan-threatens-to-attack-north-korea/155014/3 "2003-02-14T12:08:35Z")
If seriously threatened, Japan’s constitution would hold back the Japanese about as much as lack of UN support for the US will stop GWB from doing what he wants. ---
**Author:** ![SC\_Wolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eb9ed0/32.png) [@SC\_Wolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SC_Wolf)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2003, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japan-threatens-to-attack-north-korea/155014/4 "2003-02-14T13:02:23Z")
Besides, they’ve already been nuked in agression twice, do you think anyone in the World community would object to them taking steps to prevent it from happening a third time? ---
**Author:** ![Tristan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tristan/32/18058_2.png) [@Tristan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tristan)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2003, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japan-threatens-to-attack-north-korea/155014/5 "2003-02-14T13:21:29Z")
I personally would have no problem with the Japanese re-militarizing. Then we could cut back our military prescense there, maybe, and save some bucks. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2003, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japan-threatens-to-attack-north-korea/155014/6 "2003-02-14T14:16:41Z")
[hijack] “Nuked in aggression” ??? Sorry, can’t let that one slip. Pearl Harbor was aggression. Hiroshima and Nagasaki, terrible as they were, were a continuation of the conflict that Japan originated, and cannot therefore be regarded as aggression. [/hijack] ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2003, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japan-threatens-to-attack-north-korea/155014/7 "2003-02-14T14:38:05Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Tuckerfan \* > \*\* Is this strictly posturing on the part of Japan or are they serious about this? \*\* If Ishiba’s serious they’ve been hiding some things about JSDF’s capabilities. Which I’m sure would raise some eyebrows in China, Taiwan, Korea, the Phillippines, and Russia. (and I guess S. Korea would be in the most awkward position. man-on-the-street opinion in the RoK would be almost certainly against anyone Japanese attacking anyone Korean ) ---
**Author:** ![Incubus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c68b51/32.png) [@Incubus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Incubus)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2003, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japan-threatens-to-attack-north-korea/155014/8 "2003-02-14T14:42:54Z")
Well, I heard Japan and Korea have had grudges for quite a long time, perhaps even beyond WWII. (sorry no cite) I have read in several articles that many Korean immigrants in Japan are treated as second-class citizens, forced to change their names to Japanese names in order to have citizenship, and endure various other forms of derision. In that case, it would seem to fuel contempt if this country they don’t really like much anyway is doing some saber-rattling in their direction. And personally I see lots of reason to allow themselves to defend themselves in their best way possible. Not to sound crude, but to let them take action independent of us would take responsibility off our hands. Unless the Koreans then start protesting about how we sic’ed Japan on em :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2003, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japan-threatens-to-attack-north-korea/155014/9 "2003-02-14T14:55:57Z")
I’m in favor of this warning. We put too many restrictions on Japan at the end of WW2. This saber-rattling is well timed. A military build-up could cure some of Japan’s economic woes, too. ---
**Author:** ![acrossthesea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/838e76/32.png) [@acrossthesea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/acrossthesea)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2003, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japan-threatens-to-attack-north-korea/155014/10 "2003-02-14T15:30:44Z")
Japan most likely won’t wage war on North Korea itself. That’s what they have us here for…all the people on these US bases in japan are gearing up to launch pre-emptive strikes on korea themselves…all the people are probably going to deploy to south korea in the coming months…oh joy for me out here. : ( ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2003, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japan-threatens-to-attack-north-korea/155014/11 "2003-02-14T15:36:16Z")
> [@](#): > > Well, I heard Japan and Korea have had grudges for quite a long time, perhaps even beyond WWII. Yep. Japan’s connections to Korea are ancient and extensive, but in the modern era Japan’s meddling in Korean affairs began in 1876, with the first of a series of enforced treaties that gave Japan unequal trade rights. This accelerated and during the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905, Japan occupied the penninsula and finally in 1910 annexed it. They held Korea until 1945. - Tamerlane ---
**Author:** ![Bomzaway](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e480ec/32.png) [@Bomzaway](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bomzaway)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2003, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japan-threatens-to-attack-north-korea/155014/12 "2003-02-14T15:42:29Z")
> [@](#): > > A military build-up could cure some of Japan’s economic woes, too. Might help some social woes as well. I read that there’s been an epidemic of sorts in that many young Japanese men are exhibiting anti-social behavior and have seem to lost their way. Joining the military might be a source of guidance or purpose to some of these poor souls. ---
**Author:** ![yojimbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yojimbo/32/232_2.png) [@yojimbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yojimbo)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2003, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japan-threatens-to-attack-north-korea/155014/13 "2003-02-14T15:46:40Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Bomzaway \* > \*\*Might help some social woes as well. I read that there’s been an epidemic of sorts in that many young Japanese men are exhibiting anti-social behavior and have seem to lost their way. Joining the military might be a source of guidance or purpose to some of these poor souls. \*\* Nah they’ll just put them on a Island and let them kill each other [😉](http://us.imdb.com/Title?0266308) \<=Link ---
**Author:** ![Fern\_Forest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/71c47a/32.png) [@Fern\_Forest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fern_Forest)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2003, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japan-threatens-to-attack-north-korea/155014/14 "2003-02-14T15:48:47Z")
I have a hard time seeing this as anything more then a reminder to N. Korea that any attempt at agression will quickly bring about the end of its existance. I mean they’d have to be absolutely stupid and very, very unbalanced to do anything. N. Korea’s a funny country. It’s got Russia to the North, China to the West, Japan and the US to the east and South Korea and the US to the south. Every which way they go, they lose. Sure they might kill a few million people but anything they do will be the death of them. And within its boarders it’s an absolute failure. So what’s the point? I mean if I was Kim I’d just go “OK, I suck at this. The party sucks at this. Mind if I go into comfortable exile in Shanghai?” and relax on permanent vacation for the rest of my life. ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2003, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japan-threatens-to-attack-north-korea/155014/15 "2003-02-14T23:21:48Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Osiris \* > \*\*I have a hard time seeing this as anything more then a reminder to N. Korea that any attempt at agression will quickly bring about the end of its existance. I mean they’d have to be absolutely stupid and very, very unbalanced to do anything. > > N. Korea’s a funny country. It’s got Russia to the North, China to the West, Japan and the US to the east and South Korea and the US to the south. Every which way they go, they lose. Sure they might kill a few million people but anything they do will be the death of them. And within its boarders it’s an absolute failure. So what’s the point? I mean if I was Kim I’d just go “OK, I suck at this. The party sucks at this. Mind if I go into comfortable exile in Shanghai?” and relax on permanent vacation for the rest of my life. \*\* Yeah, but Kim’s a raving lunatic, from what I gather, so he’s likely _not_ to be quite so rational. Which makes me wonder what NK’s reaction’s going to be to this. ---
**Author:** ![Blackeyes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f6c823/32.png) [@Blackeyes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blackeyes)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2003, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japan-threatens-to-attack-north-korea/155014/16 "2003-02-15T04:12:31Z")
Why can’t South Korea keep their capital at a nice, safe place like Pusan? ☹