After North Korea's provocative missile tests in early July, Japan said it was considering whether a preemptive strike on North Korea's missile bases would violate its constitution.

According to Mari Yamaguchi (AP, July 10), several government officials openly discussed whether the country ought to take steps to better defend itself, including setting up the legal framework to allow Japan to launch a preemptive strike.

"If we accept that there is no other option to prevent an attack... there is the view that attacking the launch base of the guided missiles is within the constitutional right of self-defense. We need to deepen discussion," Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe said.

"With all of Japan easily within range of North Korean missiles, an opinion poll conducted by Japan's NHK television showed that 82 percent of respondents in Japan said they felt 'fearful' or 'somewhat fearful' of the seven or more missiles that North Korea shot into the Sea of Japan on July 4," reported Anthony Faiola in theWashington Post July 11.

Japan's constitution, written after World War II, prohibits the use of military force, though Japan does maintain a 240,000-strong self-defense force.

However, AP quoted a Japanese Defense Agency spokeswoman as saying Japan has no attacking weapons such as ballistic missiles that could reach North Korea. Its forces only have ground-to-air missiles and ground-to-vessel missiles, she said on condition of anonymity.

For their part, North Korea scoffed at the UN Security Council resolution asking it to quit launching missiles and return to six-party talks. "The vicious, hostile policy of the U.S. and the irresponsibility of the UN Security Council have created an extremely dangerous situation on the Korean Peninsula," said a North Korean Foreign Ministry statement (The Week, July 28, 2006).

—Sources: AP, The Week, WashingtonPost.com