In a move that should surprise few at this point, North Korea has now lashed out at Japan and has threatened a nuclear strike.
The hostility was the result of Japan calling for "independent additional sanctions" again Kim Jong Un's leadership. Should North Korea go to war with South Korea, they have said it would be a fatal mistake for Japan to think that it would be safe from hostilities.
This comes shortly after North Korea fired missiles into the Sea of Japan, ostensibly as an act of physical aggression against their neighbor to the East. The incident drew immediate international condemnation, which apparently has fallen on deaf ears in Pyongyang.
North Korea has already threatened both South Korea and the United States with the threat of nuclear attack, and so aggression towards the U.S. ally Japan does not come as a particular surprise. U.S. National Security Advisor Tom Donilon has already said that Washington is willing to hold "authentic negotiations" with Kim Jong Un should he cease these acts many believe to be a show of bravado.
While the act of firing these short range missiles (range of about 75 miles) was not a direct threat to anyone, it could have been construed as the initiation of war. North Korean leadership has not shied away from such situations thus far, and it appears as if tensions will only continue to rise.
Due to the recent threats and the likely war now facing them, South Koreans have become more amenable to the idea of a nuclear weapons program in their own country. To date it has been a taboo subject in the country, due to the desire of many in the Far East to avoid nuclear proliferation in the region. If South Korea were to begin building nuclear weapons, it could lead to a domino effect that could see Japan and others follow suit. Currently 66% of South Koreans are in support of developing a nuclear weapons program.
Both Japan and South Korea fall under a "nuclear umbrella" that would give them protection from American defenses should they come under attack. Due to these most recent developments, the United States is now considering a move that would beef up their nuclear defense systems in both Alaska and California. China has warned that such a move may antagonize North Korea further.
