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U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor |
The United States is positioning the first of 12 F-22 fighter jets scheduled to be stationed on the southern Japanese island of Okinawa in a key U.S. response to the recent nuclear tests and missile launches from North Korea, according to a report in Joseph Farah's G2 Bulletin.
A number of the missiles have flown over Japan or splashed down nearby, prompting the Japanese government to call for a response "in the most serious way" to the secretive regime's aggressive maneuvers.
North Korea's latest nuclear test occurred on May 25, followed by a series of missile firings.
"The deployment underscores the U.S. commitment to Japan as a vital regional partner and signals U.S. resolve to ensure stability and security throughout the Pacific region," a U.S. Air Force statement said.
The deployment, however, has not escaped the attention of North Korea, which feels threatened by their presence in Japan since the F-22s are difficult to detect on radar. Bolstering this concern have been recent calls by Japanese officials to launch a preemptive strike against North Korea's missile sites.
"If Japan wages another war of conquest, their whole land will be subject to our retaliatory strike," North Korea's official newspaper, Rodong Sinmum declared. "Japan's major cities of Tokyo, Osaka, Yokohama, Nagoya and Kyoto are home to over a third of Japan's population, and house most of its industry. Should we launch our power counterattack, Japan will become a scene of carnage."
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The F-22, known as the Raptor, is a fifth generation fighter aircraft that uses stealth technology and has multiple capabilities not only in air superiority but ground attack and electronic warfare. The F-22s recently left their home base in Langley, Va., and landed at Kadena Air Base on Okinawa. The Raptors will remain in Japan and the surrounding area for an initial four months. They come in response to assurances that President Barack Obama gave to Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso in late May of the U.S. commitment to defend Japan.
The initial deployment of 12 Raptors to Japan is also a signal that the U.S. will resort to air and sea power to respond to any North Korean attack either on Japan or South Korea.
"Should the North Koreans do something rash and extremely provocative militarily," U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said, the U.S. "has the forces to deal with it."
The U.S. response comes as concerns mount in Tokyo especially over North Korean nuclear tests, prompting calls for Japan to develop its own strike capability in case of an attack. Presently, the Japanese constitution forbids such an initiative and would have to be amended to allow such a development.
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