"Japan Prepares to Shoot North Korean Missiles..." Topic

… Out of the Sky.

"Like a batter waiting for a wicked pitch that might just hit his head, the Japanese are on alert—full scale military alert—waiting for the nuclear-armed crazies in North Korea to throw a missile in their direction. The Japanese think it's coming soon, and they're letting it be known (but quietly and in contradictory leaks) that they plan to knock it out of the park.

The question is: Can they? The other question is: Why don't they want to talk about it publicly?

The answer to the second question might just be related to the first.

Japan's ballistic missile defense system essentially depends on American-built Aegis destroyers equipped to shoot down missiles at the edge of space or, indeed, all the way out there beyond the atmosphere. But the enormously expensive Aegis systems aren't entirely reliable. According to a Congressional Research Service report published last October (PDF), in tests since 2002 the Aegis BMD system has hit its target 28 out of 34 times, including three out of four test shots by the Aegis ships in the Japanese Navy. Theoretically, Patriot batteries on the ground would take out the six missiles that get through, and the Japanese Ministry of Defense has a nifty chart explaining how all that works. But if the day comes when those missiles carry nuclear warheads, one in four hitting home, or even one in six, is not all that encouraging. Not to put too fine a point on it, but you want to bat 1000…"
Full article here.
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Amicalement
Armand

Of course you want to "bat 1000," but until you can batting .667 is a lot less damage than pulling the system and batting .000.

That is why you shoot multiple missiles each time. I doubt that the North Koreans have that many missile platforms for their nukes.

The major limiting factor for the North Koreans isn't missles (although their reliability is open to question) but warheads. And their reliability is questionable as well. The problem is that if they even get close to a populated area in Japan or South Korea it will be a humanitarian disaster. And the US is then treaty and honor bound to retaliate. And Lord knows what happens after that.