About the Author
Kosuke Takahashi
Kosuke Takahashi is a Tokyo-based journalist. His work has appeared in the Asahi Shimbun, Bloomberg, Asia Times, Jane's Defence Weekly and The Diplomat, among other publications. You can follow him on Twitter.
North Korea can strike Japan with nuclear-armed ballistic missiles, according to the recently released Defense of Japan 2022 White Paper, which also states that the weapons Pyongyang has tested this year pose unique challenges to Tokyo's defense networks.
The annual report released Friday also introduced an argument for “counter-strike capabilities” for the first time. The ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) proposed earlier this year that Tokyo expand counterstrike options against possible North Korean attacks.