Tokyo wary of N. Koreaʼs possible attempts to divide Japan, US

August 30, 2017

TOKYO- Tokyo is wary of possible attempts by North Korea to divide Japan and the United States after Tuesday's ballistic missile launch, with some seeing such intention behind the action.

As soon as North Korea fired an intermediate ballistic missile over Japan's northernmost prefecture of Hokkaido without warning Tuesday morning, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe held telephone talks with US President Donald Trump to confirm the two countries' close cooperation.

Still, some Japanese officials appear increasingly frustrated that North Korea refuses to stop provocative acts despite increasing international pressure, sources familiar with the situation said.

With the latest firing, North Korea "may be trying to drive a wedge between the United States, where some put an emphasis on dialogue (with Pyongyang), and Japan, which seeks to add pressure," a Japanese government source said.

If the United States enters direct dialogue with North Korea before the reclusive country finishes developing intercontinental ballistic missile technology, Washington may be able to avoid an imminent crisis for the time being, pundits said.

In that case, Japan would be left behind, still exposed to the threat from North Korean missiles that put Japan's archipelago fully within their range.

The latest launch was an "unprecedented provocation," Abe said during his phone talks with Trump. "It is clear that North Korea is not ready for dialogue." "The prime minister is trying hard to prevent the United States from starting a dialogue with North Korea," a Japanese source said.

North Korea is believed to be developing nuclear-capable ICBMs as a deterrent against a US military intervention in a possible contingency on the Korean Peninsula.

"If North Korea acquires the ability to mount a direct attack on the United States, the credibility of the US nuclear umbrella would be shaken," an expert said.

Concerns are growing that the United States may hesitate to fulfill its obligation to defend Japan and South Korea out of fear that US soldiers and citizens could be killed in a North Korean attack, pundits said. Jiji Press