Japan could use Aegis Ashore system to shoot down Guam-bound missiles, official says

September 20, 2018

Stars and Stripes:

TOKYO — Japan will legally be able to use planned Aegis Ashore systems to intercept North Korean missiles launched toward Guam, a top government official said this week.

A pacifist constitution bans Japan from stepping in to defend other nations unless it was also being attacked; however, security legislation passed in 2015 allows the country to exercise its right to collective defense and to defend close allies when attacked — under certain conditions.

Those include: when an armed attack against Japan or a close ally “threatens Japan’s survival and poses a clear danger to fundamentally overturn people’s right to life, liberty and pursuit of happiness; when there are no other ways to repel an attack; and if it limits the use of force to the minimum extent required.

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