Japan are gearing up for a nuclear confrontation with North Korea in the wake of a ballistic missile test by Pyongyang. Legislators in Japan are calling for a ‘first strike’ policy against the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), amid fears that North Korea could strike at any moment. “If bombers attacked us or warships bombarded us, we would fire back,” former defense minister Itsunori Onodera said during a Japanese committee meeting to discuss possible military action against North Korea. “Striking a country lobbing missiles at us is no different.” Sputniknews.com reports: One of Pyongyang’s main lifelines and only ally among major powers, China, called on the DPRK to halt missile testing to “defuse a looming crisis,” according to foreign minister Wang Yi in Beijing. Wang also recommended that South Korea and the US should end joint military drills. The US recently deployed a controversial missile defense system, the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense, in Seongju county, South Korea. “China has missiles that can hit Japan, so any complaints it may have are not likely to garner much sympathy in the international community,” the former defense minister noted. Regarding the switch in posture from ‘self-defense’ to considering the adoption of a ‘strike first’ policy, Onodera said that, “technology has advanced and the nature of the [...]