Japan’s Security Council Reportedly Planning Response to Potential Korean Crisis

Japan’s National Security Council (NSC) has been discussing plans to respond to the tensions on the Korean Peninsula since February, Japanese media report.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe called an NSC meeting on February 23 to address the risks that Pyongyang’s continued missile and nuclear activity pose to the region, The Japan Times said on Friday.

According to the newspaper, NSC is reportedly considering evacuating Japanese nationals from South Korea and finding ways to protect Japan from the risk of disguised North Korean soldiers entering the country amid a possible inflow of refugees.

On Thursday, US President Donald Trump told reporters at the White House that the North Korean "problem" "will be taken care of." Abe reportedly fears that US pressure on Pyongyang could lead to a crisis on the Korean Peninsula.

North Korea has carried out several missile test launches this year, in violation of UN resolutions. Last year, Pyongyang carried out two nuclear tests and over two dozen of test launches using ballistic missile technology.

Abe said on Thursday that North Korea could be capable of loading its missile warheads with the sarin nerve agent.

North Korea declared itself a nuclear power in 2005. The United States, Japan and South Korea, as well as Russia and China, took part in talks with North Korea on the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula between 2003 and 2009, when Pyongyang withdrew from the talks.