Japan Law Paves Way for Missile Defense

The upper house of Japan’s parliament today voted 126-94 to authorize the country’s defense chief to fire on incoming missiles without first seeking permission from the prime minister or Cabinet, the Associated Press reported (see GSN, July 14).

The legislation now becomes law. The lower house of parliament approved the bill last month.

“If a missile comes flying into Japan, we have to shoot it down to protect the lives and property of the Japanese people before we can mobilize our defenses,” said Defense Agency chief Yoshinori Ono (Chisaki Watanabe, Associated Press/Austin American-Statesman, July 22).

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