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Japan alleges missile test by N. Korea

By P. S. Suryanarayana

SINGAPORE April 1. Whether or not an All Fools' Day prank, a tentative announcement and an equally ambiguous retraction by Japan about the apparent test-flight of a new anti-ship missile by North Korea revealed the depth of nervousness in parts of East Asia on strategic matters of the military kind.

East Asia's strategic jitters have compounded the region's woes at this time. On the public health front, the region is already reeling under the impact of a genuine scare over the outbreak and spread of a mysterious disease (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) across several countries. Ironically, the confusion over Pyongyang's "missile launch'' emanated from Japan, North Korea's proximate neighbour. It was only a few days ago that Japan had placed two futuristic "information-gathering'' devices, or spy-satellites, in the orbit with a view to monitoring North Korea's military activities besides the natural disasters that occur frequently in the region.

The original remark by a Japanese spokesman was, "the Government ... has information suggesting that the North Koreans launched a land-to-sea missile, which is not a ballistic missile, between 10 and 11 today, from the northwest coast of North Korea''. As a matter of some prudence, the spokesman struck a cautionary note too. It was said that the Japanese authorities "do not have any confirmation of the actual area that the missile hit.''

Outlining a more important punch line, the spokesman said: "Nor do we have precise information about the launch". In "additional remarks'' in the evening, the Japanese official noted that the information regarding the purported missile launch "is still being checked''. Whatever be the reason for ringing the alarm bells in the first instance, Tokyo made it abundantly clear that the test-flight of any such missile would pose no direct security threat to Japan.

However, any such action by North Korea would amount to "another act of escalating the tension'' in the region, it was noted in Tokyo. The South Korean "intelligence'' about the absence of any concrete evidence appeared to have altered the information alert in Tokyo on the issue.

On a firmer ground, though, the Japanese Foreign Minister, Yoriko Kawaguchi, and the Commander-in-Chief of the U.S. Pacific Command, Thomas B. Fargo, agreed at a meeting on Monday that the development of nuclear weapons by North Korea "is unacceptable'' and that "the issue should be resolved peacefully and diplomatically''.

On a separate but related front, China said the "states possessing the largest nuclear arsenals'' — a clear reference to the U.S. — "should take the lead'' in non-proliferation activities "in a legally binding form''. China further urged the nuclear powers to "undertake not to be the first to use nuclear weapons'' and to refrain from using such weapons against those without them at any time or under any circumstances.

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