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Japan Activated Air Raid Sirens During North Korea's Missile Test Monday (cnn.com)
"No country should have missiles flying over them like those 130 million people in Japan," the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations said Monday. Though it was only a test, the scene on-the-ground is described by Slashdot reader AppleHoshi:
Our phones went crazy on receipt of an automated alert from the "J-Alert" system. Shortly afterwards, loudspeakers broadcast another alert (there are loudspeakers everywhere in Japan, to warn of earthquakes, tsunamis and typhoons). As normal with any disaster situation in Japan, all of the available television channels immediately switched over to full-coverage mode, with a repetition of what the situation was ("There's a missile heading in the direction of north-central Japan") followed by basic instructions of what to do ("If it comes down in your area, try to extinguish any fires and immediately inform your local police and fire departments").
Shortly before twenty past six we got the news that the missile had over-flown northern Japan and landed in the Pacific, about 1,000 km [621 miles] from the coast of Hokkaido. The "all-clear" was broadcast over the local speakers a short while later. Strange as it may seem, this all had an air of normality about it. Japan gets more than it's fair share of natural disasters, so anyone living here gets plenty of exposure to this same routine. (It's just that the reason is usually an earthquake, typhoon or tsunami, rather than a megalomaniac).
Shortly before twenty past six we got the news that the missile had over-flown northern Japan and landed in the Pacific, about 1,000 km [621 miles] from the coast of Hokkaido. The "all-clear" was broadcast over the local speakers a short while later. Strange as it may seem, this all had an air of normality about it. Japan gets more than it's fair share of natural disasters, so anyone living here gets plenty of exposure to this same routine. (It's just that the reason is usually an earthquake, typhoon or tsunami, rather than a megalomaniac).
TFS seems to imply that the alert was activated everywhere in Japan. The subtitle on the linked CNN page mentions Northern Japan.
I live in Tokyo, and heard or saw no such alert.
Dear American Taxpayer,
As part of our surrender to YOU we agreed to allow YOU do defend us against external aggression instead of rebuilding our military.
Sincerely,
Japan.
P.S. Maybe Trump should think about renegotiating that tax payer nightmare.
To be fair, it was easier when there were still real Nazis.
There is no political reason. The U.S. would be involved whether or not they activated the sirens. The U.S. is obligated by treaties wrapping up the loose ends of WWII to provide for Japan's defense against foreign attack. The treaties and Japanese Constitution limit Japan's military to operating domestically to repel an invasion. The JSDF is not allowed to operate outside Japan, though that clause has been stretched recently to allow Japan to participate in UN peacekeeping missions. Since that leaves Japan extremely vulnerable to foreign attack, the treaties make defending Japan from outside Japan's borders the responsibility of the U.S.
So in this particular case (foreign missile overflying Japan), not only is a U.S. response warranted, it's required.
Four words: nuclear fallout, prevailing winds.
It wasn't in orbit, but its apogee reached about 550 km - well above the Karman Line. I'd be interested to know how long it takes sensors to determine the rough impact location based on the launch profile. Course adjustments are possible during boost, coast and re-entry (whether NK has that ability is another unknown*), so it's probably a bad idea to look at the profile and say "Japan's OK".
I'd actually like to see a 3d view of NK missile launches in Google Earth - some of their previous launches reached apogees of 3,725 km, which is far greater than that required normally. It also means their missiles are undergoing far higher re-entry forces than they would operationally.
* For us. NORAD, etc probably have a good idea of the capabilities.
What's the point of scaring everyone with this?
What's the point of an alert system?
If it's a missile test, it would have been announced beforehand to anyone who cares to listen.
Ahh but was it? As far as I could tell this came as somewhat of a surprise. And even if it was, and even if the intended destination was announced, NK's missiles do not have a reputation of reliably getting all the way to their target. Many seem to fall out of the sky early.
If it's a real attack, then there's no point telling people to put out fires started by the missile.
Of course there is. Context of what happens in a disaster is important to an emergency response. Was that explosion right now a terrorist attack with local threats still present, or was it a one off ordinance where we can go in and provide aid and mittigate further damage straight away? Maybe it was a gas explosion and therefore people shouldn't go into the area. There's a lot that can change with a bit of context.
I suspect there's a political reason they're doing this
Yes there is. An emergency alert system that doesn't announce an emergency due to someone in the government deciding it shouldn't definitely would have political consequences if an incident happened.