Japanese government issues citizens DEFCON warning because of North Korea

Ahlan, sports fans.  Since you frequent SOFREP, you are no doubt well informed.  And since you are well informed, you’ll know that the Northern Korean Twin is flaring up like a pack of hemorrhoids.

What started as nut-flexing for NK’s fearless leader turned into a scene from The Interview, as the internationally televised “big event” fell flat on it’s face.  At this point, someone on the staff over there just needs to take the bullet and clue those clowns into that fact that no one takes them seriously when it comes to their threats.

When I was working KN (Korea, North; remember) doctrine a few moons ago, best case scenario basically equated to a square Hudsonian “Game over, man.  GAME OVER!”  Anyone alive on the peninsula after the first hour (far less, actually)…was gonna wish they weren’t.  So, sure as the sun rises in the East, KN has made idle threats (idol threats?) and failed magnificently in their attempts to either impress or follow through.

I’m not saying KN can’t open a can of whoop-ass on someone.  I’m just saying that “someone” is South Korea (and maybe…maybe parts of Japan), and that they don’t have much of a can opener on-hand at the moment.

Savvy?

So, shift further east to my area of operations.  Japan has its own ways of handling regionalized shit-talk.  They’ve been living in Asia awhile, and well…they all do it over here.  But we’ve also covered how Japan has co-oped a pretty hefty missile defense system of late.  Mix that with KN’s inability to get what they want to get where they want to get it, and you’ve got a very limited reach.  In Arty, it’s “time on target”.  So I imagine is more like “sorta time, sorta target”…

To keep up with the growing inflammation across the Sea of Japan, Nihon has pulled some shit directly out of old Godzilla movies.  (No shit, dudes.)  You know how in the States we’ll get Amber Alerts?  Our phones flip their shit and give us a message about a kid in danger?  Nothing we can do to stop it or turn it off.  In Japan, they have a similar national alert system, the J-Alert.

The J-Alert national warning system is run by the Fire and Disaster Management Agency, a sub-agency of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communication.  Up until recently, these alerts typically announced earthquakes, volcanoes, tsunamis (natural disasters; very rarely anything other than those two).  I’ve gotten literally hundreds of alerts over my time J-side, very many of them after I felt the incident.  The alerts are sent out based on cell tower location to the incident.  So, you are likely not to get anything if it is not happening anywhere close to where you are, or where you’re from (you can get them based on where your number is based).

The message may or may not be followed by specific instructions.  In the case of those two above, everyone knows what they are supposed to do.  (For the most part.)

In the last week, the citizenry of Japan has gotten added alerts:  Missile Strike and Mega-terrorism.

Attacks.  Mass casualty type.  That is their warning order.  And at this point everyone is on alert.  And the Ministry has announced that news and instructions will be issued to every citizen with a phone (which is about all of them over 12).

“Mega-terrorism”…You read that right.

Japan has never had an attack warning system of this magnitude, directed at their population, ever.  Except in Godzilla movies.  That system was originally developed fictionally in this multimedia capacity last year in the movie SHIN GODZILLA which is a carry-over from the older days of Godzilla attacks and national warning systems using loudspeakers and sirens.  They still use those today, too, by the way and will be used in the localized area of whichever attack might happen.

As the J-populace works itself into its own peculiar community-based beehive society in response, national and local authorities are developing immediate courses of action for anyone getting one of these alerts.  For example, if you’re indoors, close all the doors and windows, shut off all gas and water supplies, shut off all ventilation (sure as shit hope this attack doesn’t happen in summer), find a secure position away from all those windows and doors, sit, and wait with your phone.

They’ve no shit been put on alert.

This doesn’t even dig into the stuff going on above that Ministry in response to KN’s bullshit.  The J-Mil has its own hive-mind.  And their efficiency in mobilization and preparation far surpasses that of the average citizenry (which far surpasses anything I’ve ever seen from a society).

While the Korean Twins have their showdown, China is just standing by thinking, “WTF…”  Meanwhile, Russia is amping up its standard scheming, Taiwan is just hoping no one is targeting them, and Japan is cocked, locked, and ready to rock.

Should be a good show.  As terrifying as KN really is in real life in the region, I am not expecting much Bond Villainy from anyone there.  Honestly…it’s all kinda old and stale now.  Overplayed.  Out of date.

I’ll let you know if I get any good alerts on my phone, though.

(Lead photo courtesy of MSNBC)