Violence and atrocities : Fumio Kishida

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Friday, November 11, 2022

During his trip to Asia, President Joe Biden will meet leaders of Japan and South Korea to discuss the nuclear program of North Korea

White House informs that US President Joe Biden will meet Prime Minister Fumio Kishida of Japan and South Korean President Yoon Suk-Yeol during his forth coming trip to Asia. The meeting would be in Cambodia on Sunday, Nov. 13. This is when the US President will attend the ASEAN and the Group of 20 industrialized nations. Adrienne Watson, spokesperson for the White House said - "The three leaders would work to continue enhancing trilateral cooperation throughout the Indo-Pacific, particularly in regard to our joint efforts to address the ongoing threat posed by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s unlawful weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs.” Biden to discuss North Korea nuclear threat with Japan, South Korea leaders. In October, North Korea test-fired a ballistic missile. It went soaring over Japan for the first time in five years. There was a warning for residents to take cover. It also prompted Biden to assure the Prime Minister of Japan about the "ironclad" commitment of America to the defense of Japan.

In view of these developments, warplanes of South Korean and the U.S. practiced bombing a target in the Yellow Sea. In addition, fighter jets from the United States and Japan conducted joint drills over the Sea of Japan. Recently, a U.S. official told a media outlet that China and Russia could use their influence with North Korea to ensure that it abandons its testing of nuclear bomb. Biden last visited Asia in May. At the time, administration officials said they were in the final stages of a policy review on North Korea. It was also keen to encourage greater trilateral cooperation with Seoul and Tokyo on that issue. Incidentally, there is a U.N. Security Council ban on North Korea from conducting nuclear tests and ballistic missile launches. There are also sanctions on Pyongyang with the objective of cutting off funding for such programs.

Monday, November 7, 2022

Japan rearming itself to deter China in East Asia

In order to boost its defense setup, Japan has recently signed a security pact with Australia. Its purpose is to boost practical defense cooperation between the two nations. Japan wants to re-arm itself in the next five years to deter China in East Asia. This partnership has come soon after Xi Jinping took charge as the leader of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) for the third term. In October, Japanese PM Fumio Kishida and Australian PM Anthony Albanese confirmed the significance of a "free and open Indo-Pacific.” This is in conformity with the vision advocated by late Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. The agreement between Japan and Australia came with the concern mounting that China may intensify its military provocations against Taiwan following an unprecedented third term by Xi Jinping. Incidentally, after World War II, the defense policies of Japan have always been governed by pacifism. That concept is changing as Japan steps up its efforts to build its arms and ammunition to counter modernization of China's military. Japan Likely To Rearm By 2027 As China-Taiwan Tensions Heighten: Reports. Beijing appears rattled by Japan's newly developed bonding with Taiwan and it has described such bonding as dangerous.

A media report quotes Yoji Koda, a former commander of Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force fleet, saying that Tokyo's trust in Beijing is vanishing. He attributes this to the rapid military build-up by Beijing and its flouting of an international court ruling that rejected China's claim over the South China Sea. Moreover, tensions have increased between Japan and China over the territory known as the Senkaku Islands in Japan. Another factor is the disturbance in key shipping lanes that might arise if China takes over Taiwan. These shipping lanes supply nearly all of Japan's oil and many other materials it uses for manufacturing.

Wednesday, November 2, 2022

Missiles fired by North Korea leads to evacuation warning in parts of Japan

North Korea has fired a number of missiles, among these one was an intercontinental ballistic missile. It prompted Japan to issue an evacuation warning for parts of Japan. One of these missiles reached an altitude of 1,200 miles and travelled about 460 miles. Japan's defence minister Yasukazu Hamada said the flight pattern was "lofted trajectory." It means the missile flew high into space to avoid flying over neighboring countries. The Japanese military lost track of the suspected ICBM over the water between the Korean Peninsula and Japan. The minister corrected an earlier report that mentioned it had flown over Japan. In the opinion of South Korea, it might have failed mid-flight. According to officials in Seoul, the launching of the first missile was from some location near Pyongyang. Subsequent ones were from Kaechon, north of Pyongyang. Evacuation alert in parts of Japan and bullet trains halted after North Korea fires missiles. After the first launch, the office of Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida broadcast alerts through different devices to residents in three prefectures. These were Miyagi, Yamagata and Niigata. The alerts were for people to get inside strong buildings or to head underground. Simultaneously, there was suspension of bullet train services in these regions.

Prime Minister Kishida described the repeated missile launches of North Korea as an “outrage and absolutely cannot be forgiven." South Korea's Vice Foreign Minister Cho Hyun-dong and U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman described these as "deplorable, immoral." The action of the North came a day after it fired at least 23 missiles. One of these landed just 40 miles off the coast of South Korea. It prompted the South to issue its own air raid warnings and launch its own missiles. Pyongyang has also been calling for the U.S. and South Korea to stop large military exercises. It says - "military rashness and provocation (which) can be no longer tolerated." Incidentally, nuclear negotiations between the United States and North Korea remain in a limbo since early 2019.

North Korea fires at least 10 missiles, one lands close to the territorial waters of the South for the first time since the 1945

The latest missile launch by North Korea was its 29th this year, according to a punt maintained by a section of the media. It consisted of at least 10 missiles. One of these landed close to the territorial waters of South Korea. It was the first incident since the division of the peninsula in 1945. There was also an air raid warning on an island located about 120 kilometers east of the peninsula. It was later lifted. The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) in Seoul said one short-range ballistic missile landed in international waters 167 kilometers northwest of South Korea’s Ulleung Island. This is about 26 kilometers south of the Northern Limit Line (NLL) that is the de facto inter-Korean maritime border. North Korea does not recognize it. South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol described the North Korean test as an “effective territorial encroachment.” In an immediate response, South Korea launched three air-to-surface missiles from F-15K and KF-16 fighter jets according to JCS. North Korean missile lands close to South Korean waters for first time in decades. JCS explained that the South Korean Air Force targeted international waters north of the NLL at an equal distance to that which the North Korean missile had earlier landed south of the line. He added - “Our military’s precise strike showed our will to firmly respond to any North Korean provocations including short-range ballistic missile, and our capability and readiness to precisely target the enemy.”

This sort of aggressive accelerating in weapons testing by Pyongyang has sparked alarm in the region. The United States, South Korea and Japan responded with missile launches and joint military exercises. The United States and South Korea began previously scheduled large-scale military exercises called “Vigilant Storm.” These involve 240 aircraft and “thousands of service members” from both countries. US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin would meet with his South Korean counterpart Lee Jong-sup at the Pentagon. In the opinion of experts, Kim Jong-un could be sending across a message of sorts. The United Nations’ nuclear watchdog warned last week that Pyongyang could be preparing for a nuclear test – its first since 2017. This was because satellite imagery showed activity at its underground nuclear test site. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. He called for a National Security Council meeting on priority in view of rising tensions on the Korean Peninsula.