North Korea

[Azza]

Kim don't care.

 

[qqg3]

Lots of reports on social media from people in that area of Japan getting messages from the warning/alert system telling them to seek shelter. Like damn that would be scary.

 

[Big Spender]

Do you think that Japan didnt shoot the missile down for fear of NK seeing it as an act of war and escalating matters?

Edit - perhaps not. The Japanese defense missiles can only shoot down incoming missiles at a lower altitude. They are saying on sky news that the trajectory was very high and not a direct threat to japan. On another matter Japan isnt allowed to wage war overseas since WW2, pretty much leaving Japans hands tied.

 

[Sliver]

NK like to push their luck don't they. Sooner or later they'll go too far. If America react I just hope for once the UK declines to help out. We don't need to be involved in that circus.

 

[jimjamuk]

Do you think that Japan didnt shoot the missile down for fear of NK seeing it as an act of war and escalating matters?

Edit - perhaps not. The Japanese defense missiles can only shoot down incoming missiles at a lower altitude. They are saying on sky news that the trajectory was very high and not a direct threat to japan. On another matter Japan isnt allowed to wage war overseas since WW2, pretty much leaving Japans hands tied.

Wage war no - but you would be hard pushed to hold them against defending themselves

 

[Trusty]

Wonder if the timing has anything to do with the hurricane? Will be difficult for Trump to organise both problems, a lot on his plate it would seem

 

[jimjamuk]

NK like to push their luck don't they. Sooner or later they'll go too far. If America react I just hope for once the UK declines to help out. We don't need to be involved in that circus.

At some point it will go wrong and the test missile will fall short or deviate and land on someones bit of earth - then it'll kick off

 

[Sliver]

Wonder if the timing has anything to do with the hurricane? Will be difficult for Trump to organise both problems, a lot on his plate it would seem

FEMA are already dealing with things.

U.S. emergency management officials said on Monday they were expediting federal resources to Texas to help with rescue efforts after Hurricane Harvey swamped coastal areas of the state and forced 30,000 people to seek refuge in temporary shelters.

https://www.cnbc.com/2017/08/28/fem...-disaster-victims-to-file-for-assistance.html

 

[Felon]

It's pretty interesting how the missile flew 1700 miles, I remember how so many people were laughing their missile tests off as they had so many failures, but I remember a NASA rocket scientist on the news saying "no test is a failed test when it comes to missile development", they will have learnt so much from all the failures - now they're making serious headway with their development.

The thing that worries me, when things get very close to the brink - it only takes something silly to touch off a war, for them to fire one missile too many - or for one to malfunction and bits of it to land on people's houses in Japan or SK, that would surely trigger something.

 

[StriderX]

Getting exciting, fire up the celebration vuvuzelas for the apocalypse gais!

 

[mmj_uk]

If the west hadn't been so hostile towards Russia they'd have had a good ally in sorting NK out, China won't do it because NK are like their crazed best friend. If China ever want to attack the US they just have to arm NK and watch the fireworks.

 

[Name]

This is ridiculous, the situation needs sorting once and for all.

 

[Glaucus]

Is it time to break open the basement where the stocks of rad-x and bottle caps are stored?

 

[xxalxx]

Japanese government warns North Korea missile headed toward northern Japan

Pretty dangerous, one malfunction away from what would have looked like a missile attack on Japan.

 

[sityeuropa]

Where do all other countries test their missiles?

As far as I know NK have never invaded anywhere. Why are they not allowed.

 

[Pixel]

This looks like a job for the world police.

 

[Amp34]

Pretty dangerous, one malfunction away from what would have looked like a missile attack on Japan.

They can't really fire them anywhere that doesn't go over another country. They appear to have intentionally fired the missile over the least densely populated part of Japan however - perhaps in part because it's less likely to be seen as an attack than one flying towards/over say Tokyo.

 

[Malevolence]

Where do all other countries test their missiles?

Seriously? You really don't know where countries test their own weapons? Have you never heard of weapons ranges? What we don't do is yest them by firing them into the airspace and over the sovereign territory of another country.

 

[Rroff]

Seriously? You really don't know where countries test their own weapons? Have you never heard of weapons ranges? What we don't do is yest them by firing them into the airspace and over the sovereign territory of another country.

To properly test a medium or intercontinental range missile you'd need quite some weapons range

IIRC for most of ours when we developed them we used testing facilities out of Australia firing into the Pacific (EDIT: Not to familiar with the geography down there not sure if its actually the Pacific) where it was most empty and Russia IIRC fires them across their country longitudinal.

 

[Malevolence]

To properly test a medium or intercontinental range missile you'd need quite some weapons range

The US recently tested one of their Minuteman III's from Vandenburg AFB and lobbed that to the test range in the Marshall Islands, some 4200mi away. That's a straight shot over the Pacific though with no pesky countries in the way. Still, I'm guessing a few international phone calls were made prior to the launch too.