From: Adam <""4thwormcastfromthemolehill\"{at}the field.near
the bridge">


>>>
> What makes you think Japan doesn't have a nuclear warhead ready "just in
> case"?

They have the raw materials (inc plutonium) & they have the facilities
& knowledge to fashion those raw materials.

Heck soon the bomb is going to be older than the lifetime of man.

Japan has a space program with a satellite launching capability.

Here's how the Chinese reported it:

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2005-02/27/content_2624293.htm

"BEIJING, Feb. 27 (Xinhuanet) -- Japan has successfully fired a
state-owned satellite into orbit in a key step toward restoring faith in
its space program, 15 months after its previous launch attempt ended in
failure.

    The rocket blasted off at 6:25 p.m.(0925 GMT), postponed for more
than an hour due to a cut-off of communication between the rocket and the
control center, said the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).

    "The satellite separated from the rocket about 40 minutes after
takeoff and is now in its initial orbit," Tsukasa Mito, an executive
director at the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) told a
post-launch news conference.

    This was the first flight of the H-2A rocket since a failure in
November 2003.

    The launch was originally scheduled for Thursday, but grounded
because of bad weather.

    "At the moment of takeoff, my heart swelled," said Education and
Science Minister Nariaki Nakayama, whose ministry oversees JAXA. "When
I heard the satellite had separated successfully, I was relieved, but at
the same time I thought it was a matter of course."

"

But the NK'er weren't happy about that in the same way as Japan says it is:

http://www.defensetech.org/archives/000035.html

"he North Koreans have been uncharacteristically muted since Gulf War
II began. Now they're getting back to their usual temper-tantrums.

"North Korea warned Wednesday that Japan would face 'self-destruction'
if it puts a spy satellite into orbit," AFP reports. "Japan is
due to launch its first two spy satellites on Friday, a move approved after
North Korea fired a suspected medium-range Taepodong missile over the
country into the Pacific in August 1998."

In early March, Pyongyang launched a short-range, anti-ship missile into
the Sea of Japan."

Note the launch of the anti-ship missile. Backup delivery system.

http://www.missilethreat.com/news/northkorea.html

"Japan is worried that Iran has leaked high-tech cruise missile
technology to North Korea, reports the Japanese daily Sankei Shimbun. At
issue is a shipment of Kh-55 cruise missiles that Iran received from the
Ukraine in 2001. The Kh-55, which was developed in the late 1970s in the
former Soviet Union, has a range of 3,000 km (1,864 miles), enough to
threaten all of Japan if deployed by North Korea. Japan is concerned that
Iran has transferred the technology to North Korea, which might be able to
arm the Kh-55 missiles with nuclear warheads. "


Adam

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