Japan's Defence Minister has stressed his country's right to strike North Korean missile sites if an attack is thought imminent.
In an exclusive interview, Shigeru Ishiba told The Independent: "The Japanese constitution permits my position. Attacking North Korea after a missile attack on Japan is too late. If North Korea orders its military to send a missile to attack Japan and the missile is raised to vertical in preparation for launch, then Japan will assume that an attack has begun and has the right to attack that particular missile launch site. What else can the missile be used for but to attack us?"
Whee! Mind you, this is from the paper that employs Robert Fisk.