Japanese Government: "North Korea Reviewing Attack Capabilities and Also Fully Initiating Railgun Development"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyung-min] Amid North Korea's announcement of a successful hypersonic missile test launch, Japan has declared its intention to develop new weapons such as railguns to defend the country.

On the 12th, Hirokazu Matsuno, Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary, said at a press conference held at the Prime Minister's Official Residence, "We will consider all options, including the so-called possession of enemy base attack capabilities, and respond by fundamentally strengthening our defense capabilities going forward."

He assessed, "The remarkable advancement of North Korea's nuclear and missile-related technologies is an issue that cannot be overlooked in terms of the safety and security of our country and the region, and it is a challenge that must be properly addressed. Through previous launches, North Korea has sought to improve related technologies and operational capabilities such as concealment (secretive hiding) to make it difficult to detect launch signs, immediacy, surprise attack capabilities, and diversification of launch methods."

He added, "(The Japanese) government believes it is important to focus investment on cutting-edge technologies that could be so-called 'game changers' that significantly alter future combat elements."

According to the Ministry of Defense's judgment, Matsuno announced that full-scale research and development of railguns will begin from fiscal year 2022 (April 2022 to March 2023). He explained that approximately 6.5 billion yen (about 67.1 billion KRW) has been reflected in the budget proposal for this purpose.

He said, "To commercialize railguns, it is necessary to overcome challenges such as miniaturization of power sources, but we intend to steadily respond to accelerate the strengthening of our country's defense capabilities and achieve early commercialization," adding, "Advanced technologies such as railguns will also be included as options, and the Ministry of Defense will properly review them going forward."

Matsuno also stated regarding North Korean missiles, "They flew at a maximum altitude of about 50 km, which is lower than typical ballistic missiles, at a top speed of about Mach 10, and there is a possibility that they flew on an irregular trajectory, including a horizontal path to the left."

Meanwhile, on the morning of the 11th, one projectile presumed to be a ballistic missile launched from inside North Korea toward the East Sea was detected. In this regard, Korean Central News Agency and Rodong Sinmun reported on the 12th that North Korean State Affairs Commission Chairman Kim Jong-un observed the test launch of a hypersonic missile and that it was successful.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.