North Korea - Bow Shots

In April 1999, the Japanese discovered a pair of North Korean spy trawlers (with Japanese markings) snooping around in their waters, and decided to have a look-see. When the trawlers started high-tailing it back to North Korea, the Japanese got their first taste of a firefight since World War II. But there was a catch. It wasn't an actual firefight. You see, the Japanese are prevented in their post-WWII constitution from using force unless fired upon first. Because the DPRK spy boats didn't shoot at anyone, all the Japanese navy could do was fire bow shots-from an armada of warships and helicopters-for a few hours as the trawlers raced home unscathed. (If only that had been policy at Pearl.) No reason anymore for Japan's allies to go to the expense of staging war games with their buddies in the Pacific. The North Koreans'll do it for free. And speaking of bow shots, in late August 1998, the DPRK lobbed a Taepo-don ballistic missile over the Japanese peninsula, the rocket's cone landing in the Pacific, the first stage in waters near Alaska. Alaskans didn't complain because Exxon had nothing to do with it, and nothing leaked. But the Japanese and the Pentagon quickly cried foul, while Pyongyang insisted it had merely launched a satellite-which is probably true, as the Dear Leader previously had no access to the Playboy Channel.