The Hindu : Japan allays fears on satellite

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Mar 28, 2003

International

International

Japan allays fears on satellite

By P. S. Suryanarayana

SINGAPORE March 27. Japan said today that its new "satellite monitoring system'', scheduled for launch tomorrow between 10:27 a.m. and 10:44 a.m. local time, "involves some classified information''. The system will have a `security' dimension. However contrary to the views being freely aired in today's highly surcharged strategic environment in East Asia, Tokyo does not portray its prospective space foray as a saga of "spy-in-the-sky satellites''.

Officially acknowledged to be a system based on "a very advanced technology'', the extra-terrestrial asset is said to be designed to "better monitor large-scale disasters, such as earthquakes or eruptions of volcanoes'' in Japan's geo-strategic neighbourhood.

Hatsuhisa Takashima, Press Secretary in Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said in Tokyo today that there was "no intention of being hostile towards any country''. He said that Japan believed that "any criticism from North Korea or any other country is not justified'' in these circumstances. Japan's attempt to set the record straight, from its own angle, acquires critical importance in the context of some serious speculation in diplomatic circles in East Asia. The `suspicion' is that North Korea might indeed attempt to send a counter-signal by conducting a test-flight of a ballistic missile to coincide with the launch. For the past several days, Japan and North Korea have been looking over each other's shoulders and tracing the possible skyward trajectories of missiles with or without satellite payloads. This situation gained a greater `diplomatic visibility' following Japan's concern that the U.S. Assistant Secretary of State, James Kelly, had spoken of the "possible testing or launch of Nodong missiles by North Korea'' at any time now.

According to the Japanese official, Tokyo was "carefully monitoring the situation through various means'' though there was no firm indication yet about the North Korean intentions. Noting that any test-launch of a ballistic missile would be a negation of North Korea's recent assurances to Tokyo against any such strategic behaviour, the Japanese official said their bilateral ties would suffer `seriously' if Pyongyang were to act in the manner suspected by Washington and its friends.

It is in these circumstances that Japan has taken extraordinary security measures in and around the site for launching the "satellite monitoring system''. One of the threats said to be guarded against is a "terrorist attack''. In a separate development, Shigeru Ishiba, Head of Japan's Defence Agency, is reported to have told the House of Representatives Committee on Security that it might be "worth considering'' whether Tokyo could enhance its military capabilities so as to be able to carry out pre-emptive strikes against foreign missile launch sites.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

International

Stories in this Section

Not a matter of time, but of victory: Bush

'Iraq likely to use chemical weapons'

U.S. envoy walks out of Security Council debate

Powell rules out role for U.N.

Hizb split, a mere formality

U.S., U.K. ask Pak. to stop infiltration

India hopes hostilities would end soon

Plane crashes into mountain

Liberia to ignore ban

Japan allays fears on satellite

Iraq-Russia trade ties 'intact'

China's help for Pak. n-plant

'U.S. must remain actively engaged in South Asia'

Kanwal Sibal in Russia to discuss Iraq, Afghanistan situation