Japan is to acquire medium-range, air-launched cruise missiles, capable of striking North Korea, a controversial purchase of what will become the longest-range munitions of a country that has renounced the right to wage war.

Defence Minister Itsunori Onodera did not refer to North Korea when announcing the planned acquisition and said the new missiles would be for defence, with Japan still relying on the United States to strike any enemy bases.

&quot;We are planning to introduce the JSM (Joint Strike Missile) that will be mounted on the F-35A (stealth fighter) as &#39;stand-off&#39;&nbsp;missiles that can be fired beyond the range of enemy threats,&quot; Onodera told a news conference.&nbsp;

Japan is also looking to mount Lockheed Martin Corp&#39;s extended-range Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM-ER) on its F-15 fighters, he said.

The JSM, designed by Norway&#39;s Kongsberg Defence &amp; Aerospace, has a range of 500 km (310 miles). The JASSM-ER can hit targets 1,000 km away.

The purchase plan is likely to face criticism from opposition parties in parliament, especially from politicians wary of the watering down of Japan&#39;s renunciation of the right to wage war enshrined in its post-World War Two constitution.

But the growing threat posed by North Korean ballistic missiles has spurred calls from politicians, including Onodera, for a more robust military that could deter North Korea from launching an attack. 
Japan&#39;s missile force has been limited to anti-aircraft and anti-ship munitions with ranges of less than 300 km (186 miles).&nbsp;

The change suggests the growing threat posed by North Korea has given proponents of a strike capability the upper hand in military planning.

North Korea has recently test-fired ballistic missiles over Japan and last week tested a new type of intercontinental ballistic missile that climbed to an altitude of more than 4,000 km before splashing into the sea within Japan`s exclusive economic zone.&nbsp;

Defence Minister Itsunori Onodera did not refer to North Korea when announcing the planned acquisition and said the new missiles would be for defence, with Japan still relying on the United States to strike any enemy bases

Japan is to acquire medium-range, air-launched cruise missiles, capable of striking North Korea, a controversial purchase of what will become the longest-range munitions of a country that has renounced the right to wage war. Defence Minister Itsunori Onodera did not refer to North Korea when announcing the planned acquisition and said the new missiles would be for defence, with Japan still relying on the United States to strike any enemy bases. "We are planning to introduce the JSM (Joint Strike Missile) that will be mounted on the F-35A (stealth fighter) as 'stand-off' missiles that can be fired beyond the range of enemy threats," Onodera told a news conference. Japan is also looking to mount Lockheed Martin Corp's extended-range Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM-ER) on its F-15 fighters, he said. The JSM, designed by Norway's Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace, has a range of 500 km (310 miles). The JASSM-ER can hit targets 1,000 km away. The purchase plan is likely to face criticism from opposition parties in parliament, especially from politicians wary of the watering down of Japan's renunciation of the right to wage war enshrined in its post-World War Two constitution. But the growing threat posed by North Korean ballistic missiles has spurred calls from politicians, including Onodera, for a more robust military that could deter North Korea from launching an attack. Japan's missile force has been limited to anti-aircraft and anti-ship munitions with ranges of less than 300 km (186 miles). The change suggests the growing threat posed by North Korea has given proponents of a strike capability the upper hand in military planning. North Korea has recently test-fired ballistic missiles over Japan and last week tested a new type of intercontinental ballistic missile that climbed to an altitude of more than 4,000 km before splashing into the sea within Japan`s exclusive economic zone.

Japan to acquire air-launched missiles able to strike North Korea

Japan&#39;s prime minister said&nbsp;Wednesday&nbsp;that the latest North Korean missile launch was a &quot;violent act&quot; that &quot;can never be tolerated&quot; after the ICBM splashed down in its exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

&quot;We will never yield to any provocative act. We will maximise our pressure&quot; on Pyongyang, Shinzo Abe told reporters.

The defence minister said earlier the missile was thought to have landed within Japan&#39;s EEZ. The Pentagon said it flew about 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) before splashing down in the Sea of Japan.

Japan had &quot;completely tracked&quot; the missile, Abe told reporters.

&quot;We have made a strong complaint,&quot; he added.

By launching the missile, North Korea has ignored the international community&#39;s &quot;united, strong will toward a peaceful solution,&quot; the prime minister said.

&quot;The international community needs to perfectly implement sanctions, in unison.&quot;

Defence Minister Itsunori Onodera later told reporters that the missile had flown for 53 minutes &quot;at an altitude far above 4,000 kilometres.&quot;

&quot;We have not received any reports of damage to airplanes or vessels operating near the area,&quot; said the minister, adding that the missile was fired &quot;at a lofted trajectory.&quot;

Speaking later in parliament, Abe said he had reaffirmed the importance of China in the crisis during a call with US President Donald Trump and praised Beijing for upholding sanctions on North Korea.

&quot;The government welcomes the fact that China is taking concrete steps such as an embargo on imports of North Korea&#39;s coal, marine products, textile products, among others,&quot; Abe told a parliamentary committee.

&quot;Frankly speaking, I feel that China is playing its role&quot; over the UN-agreed sanctions, he said.&nbsp;

UN chief strongly condemns North Korea missile launch

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres&nbsp;on Tuesday&nbsp;strongly condemned North Korea&#39;s latest missile test and urged Pyongyang to &quot;desist taking any further destabilizing steps.&quot;

&quot;This is a clear violation of Security Council resolutions and shows complete disregard for the united view of the international community,&quot; Guterres said in a statement.

North Korea earlier fired an intercontinental ballistic missile that the Japanese defense ministry said landed in Japan&#39;s exclusive economic zone.

The UN Security Council will hold an emergency meeting&nbsp;on Wednesday&nbsp;to discuss the latest launch and calls from the United States for more sanctions to be imposed on North Korea over its rogue behavior.

Guterres said he was ready to work with all parties to reduce tensions.

'This is a clear violation of Security Council resolutions and shows complete disregard for the united view of the international community,' the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said

Japan's prime minister said Wednesday that the latest North Korean missile launch was a "violent act" that "can never be tolerated" after the ICBM splashed down in its exclusive economic zone (EEZ). "We will never yield to any provocative act. We will maximise our pressure" on Pyongyang, Shinzo Abe told reporters. The defence minister said earlier the missile was thought to have landed within Japan's EEZ. The Pentagon said it flew about 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) before splashing down in the Sea of Japan. Japan had "completely tracked" the missile, Abe told reporters. "We have made a strong complaint," he added. By launching the missile, North Korea has ignored the international community's "united, strong will toward a peaceful solution," the prime minister said. "The international community needs to perfectly implement sanctions, in unison." Defence Minister Itsunori Onodera later told reporters that the missile had flown for 53 minutes "at an altitude far above 4,000 kilometres." "We have not received any reports of damage to airplanes or vessels operating near the area," said the minister, adding that the missile was fired "at a lofted trajectory." Speaking later in parliament, Abe said he had reaffirmed the importance of China in the crisis during a call with US President Donald Trump and praised Beijing for upholding sanctions on North Korea. "The government welcomes the fact that China is taking concrete steps such as an embargo on imports of North Korea's coal, marine products, textile products, among others," Abe told a parliamentary committee. "Frankly speaking, I feel that China is playing its role" over the UN-agreed sanctions, he said. UN chief strongly condemns North Korea missile launch UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday strongly condemned North Korea's latest missile test and urged Pyongyang to "desist taking any further destabilizing steps." "This is a clear violation of Security Council resolutions and shows complete disregard for the united view of the international community," Guterres said in a statement. North Korea earlier fired an intercontinental ballistic missile that the Japanese defense ministry said landed in Japan's exclusive economic zone. The UN Security Council will hold an emergency meeting on Wednesday to discuss the latest launch and calls from the United States for more sanctions to be imposed on North Korea over its rogue behavior. Guterres said he was ready to work with all parties to reduce tensions.

North Korea launch 'violent act' that can't be tolerated: Japan

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Japan to acquire air-launched missiles able to strike North Korea

North Korea launch 'violent act' that can't be tolerated: Japan