North Korea fires missile over Japan

By Andrew O’Neil, Professor of Political Science at Griffith University
North Korea’s launch of what appears to be an intermediate range ballistic missile over the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido once again highlights Pyongyang’s manic fixation on destabilising security in Asia.
Professor Andrew O’Neil
For ordinary Japanese waking to the sounds of the nationwide J-alert system, the test brutally underscores how vulnerable Japan remains to a North Korean nuclear strike, which is precisely the intended message from Pyongyang.
From North Korea’s perspective, the launch is intended to emphasise that it retains the initiative in terms of escalation control and that it will not bow to external pressure, whether this comes from Beijing or from Washington.
Away from the rhetorical white noise, however, the latest North Korean missile test is serious cause for concern.
It confirms that Kim Jong-un has no intention of exercising restraint; to the contrary, we can anticipate an acceleration in North Korean missile

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