Japan Adjusts To New North Korean Threat

WAMU 88.5

Published August 30, 2017 at 10:06 AM CDT

A pedestrian looks at a television screen displaying a map of Japan (R) and the Korean Peninsula in Tokyo on August 29, following a North Korean missile test that passed over Japan.

A North Korean missile flew over Japan this week. Projectiles from North Korea have passed over Japanese territory in the past, but this is believed to be the first time an actual weapon entered Japanese airspace.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe calls the action an “unprecedented and grave threat” to his nation. Bound by a pacifist Constitution (which Abe wants to change), Japan’s options may seem limited. However, U.S. President Donald Trump says “all options are on the table” for an American or a joint response.

How does Japan handle the nearby threat, and what are the options the president is putting on the table?

GUESTS

Philip Yun, Executive director, Ploughshares, a fund dedicated to eliminating dangers posed by nuclear weapons; former presidential appointee at the U.S. Department of State; served as senior advisor to the assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs

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