As Japan's neighbors bolster their missile capabilities, Defense Minister Minoru Kihara stresses the need to enhance deterrence against potential threats.
The White Paper recognizes that "Japan has entered a new era of crisis, facing its most severe and complex security environment since WWII."
North Korea's fanfare over the ICBM launch pad demonstrates that Japan's possession of counterstrike capability will have a significant deterring effect.
Diplomacy has not stopped North Korea from firing off missiles. Japan must have what it takes to punish it as an aggressor nation.
With its provocative missile launches and nuclear threats, North Korea is causing Japan and South Korea to rethink deterrence and alliance-based cooperation.
Japan's geopolitical neighborhood faces a triple crisis, but most Diet members are focused on trivia instead of protecting the people and our homeland.
Japan remains constantly exposed to the menace of North Korean missiles, and ominously the Kim regime recently "legalized" its use of nuclear weapons.