Yoshinori Ono

During a plenary session July 22, the Upper House passed a bill to add missile-defense provisions to the Self-Defense Forces Law. The bill cleared the Lower House on June 16.

Under a new article, the Defense Agency chief will seek permission from the prime minister to deploy the missile shield if evidence of an imminent missile attack is detected. The SDF would then launch interceptors if any missiles are fired toward Japan.

If there are no clear signs of a launch but conditions call for high alert and there is no time to seek consent, the agency chief can also mobilize the SDF to stand by for any sudden attack and order an intercept under emergency guidelines approved in advance by the prime minister.

"We must prepare a missile defense system to counter a very new threat," Defense Agency Chief Yoshinori Ono said.

"If a missile comes flying toward Japan, we must shoot it down to protect the lives and assets of our citizens before responding with defense mobilization."

The Japan Times Weekly: July 30, 2005
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