Japan “To Deploy PAC Missiles”
Japan deploying missiles to Okinawa, says will shoot down any North Korean missiles that threaten it. - Three weeks ago, Japanese Foreign Minister Koichiro Gemba cautiously welcomed the “Leap Day” agreement between the U.S. and North Korea in which Pyongyang agreed to suspend its uranium enrichment activities and implement a moratorium on its long range missile and nuclear tests in exchange for 240,000 tons of nutritional aid from Washington. But the tone in Tokyo has changed considerably since then, as the North has returned to its predictable cycle of negotiation followed by provocation. Japan has reportedly ordered missile defense systems to be prepared and deployed near its southernmost island of Okinawa. The news follows the North Korean announcement this month that it intends to launch a satellite to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the birth of North Korean founder Kim Il-Sung. The move is provocative and may very well suffocate efforts such as the Leap Day deal to restart the moribund Six-Party talks aimed at denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula.