Following North Korea's commitment to "complete denuclearization," Japan has planned to stop evacuation drills. North Korea previously threatened to "sink" Japan into the sea and to turn it into "ashes."
People in Japan participate in an anti-missile evacuation drill in TokyoImage: Reuters/K. Kung-Hoon
The official announcement of the suspension was underway and recent diplomatic developments meant the prospect of strikes from North Korean missiles has subsided for now, news agency AP reported the Cabinet Secretariat in charge of crisis management as saying.
The intention to suspend the drills came to light on Thursday after officials in Tochigi prefecture confirmed a drill there next Tuesday had been canceled at the government's request.
Nine drills to prepare residents in Japan for potential missile attacks were due to be held this year.
US committed to 'irreversible' denuclearization
Japan’s Abe embraces ‘U.S.-North Korea summit as a step forward’ in denuclearization of Korean Peninsula
00:24
This browser does not support the video element.
As Japan's plan to halt the drills was revealed, the country's defense minister, Itsunori Onodera, said Japan and the US needed to be wary until North Korea took serious action towards denuclearizing.
Last week, US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un signed a joint document calling for denuclearization of the Korean peninsula.
"North Korea has yet to show any concrete steps towards denuclearization," Onodera said ahead of two days of talks with US Indo-Pacific military commander Philip Davidson in Tokyo.
Davidson, who is on his first official visit to Japan, was quick to try and ease his concerns, saying the US remained committed to the "irreversible" denuclearization of North Korea.
Japan relies on the US for its defense and operates closely with its military, hosting some 50,000 US military personnel and the biggest overseas concentration of US Marines.
North Korea has made intimidating comments to key US ally Japan in the past, such as threatening to "sink" the country into the sea and to turn it into "ashes."
ICBM threat and North Korea's overall military strength
For years, the international community downplayed the threat of North Korea's military power. With the test launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile, it is clear that Pyongyang's military capabilities are growing.
Image: Gettty Images/AFP/E. Jones
Major achievement
In early June 2017, North Korea test-launched an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) for the first time. Testing an ICBM marked a major military achievement for Pyongyang and a serious escalation of tensions with the United States and its allies in the region, particularly South Korea and Japan.
Image: Reuters/KCNA
Trouble with warheads
At the time, defense experts said the ICBM could reach as far as the US states of Alaska and Hawaii. However, it was unclear if North Korea can field an ICBM capable of carrying a nuclear warhead on its cone that could survive reentry into the Earth's atmosphere. North Korean state media claimed the ICBM was capable of carrying a "large, heavy nuclear warhead" to any part of the United States.
Image: Reuters/KCNA
Pyongyang's nuclear tests - six times and counting
The ICBM is believed to be a step forward in the North's nuclear program. Despite pressure from the international community, Pyongyang has made no secret of its nuclear ambitions. Alongside its ritual ballistic missile tests, North Korea has conducted nuclear tests on at least six occasions, including one in September 2017.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/KCNA
US running out of patience?
Responding to the first ICBM test with a show of force, the US and South Korean troops on conducted "deep strike" precision missile drills using Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) and the Republic of Korea's Hyunmoo Missile II. In April, the US sent its Carl Vinson aircraft carrier towards the Korean Peninsula, saying it was taking prudent measures against the North.
Image: picture-alliance/Zumapress/M. Brown
Testing the boundaries
Ignoring international condemnation, Pyongyang test-launched another rocket on July 28, 2017, just weeks after its first ICBM test. In both of the tests, North Korea used Hwasong-14 missile, but the second one reached a higher altitude and traveled a larger distance than the first one, according to the state media.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/KCNA
Whole of US within range?
Pyongyang conducted its third test November 29, using a newly developed Hwasong-15 missile. US, Japanese and South Korean officials said it rose to about 4,500 km (2,800 miles) and flew 960 kilometers (600 miles) over about 50 minutes before landing in Japan's exclusive economic zone off the country's coast.
Image: picture-alliance/MAXPPP
One of the world's largest militaries
Apart from a developing missile and nuclear program, North Korea has a powerful army with 700,000 active troops and another 4.5 million in the reserves. It can call upon almost a quarter of its population to serve in the army at any given time. The North's bloated army is believed to outnumber its southern neighbor's by two-to-one.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/E. Jones
Vast capabilities
According to the 2017 Global Firepower Index, the North has, as part of a far-reaching arsenal, 458 fighter aircraft, 5,025 combat tanks, 76 submarines, and 5,200,000 total military personnel. The picture above from 2013 shows leader Kim Jong Un ordering strategic rocket forces to be on standby to strike US and South Korean targets at any time.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
Enemies all around
Alongside the United States, Pyongyang views its neighbors South Korea and Japan as its two other main enemies. North Korea has used US military exercises in the region as means of galvanizing its people, claiming that the exercises are dress rehearsals for an impending invasion.
Image: Reuters/K. Hong-Ji
Huge, colorful demonstrations of military might
Every year, hundreds of thousands of soldiers and citizens roll through the streets of the capital Pyongyang to take part in the North's military parades. Preparations for the rallies often begin months in advance, and the parades usually mark important anniversaries linked with the Communist Party or Kim Jong Un's family.
