Japanese Intelligence Aircraft Was Nearly Attacked By North Korean Missile

Japanese Intelligence Aircraft Was Nearly Attacked By North Korean Missile. July. 25, 2004 22:05. by Hun-Joo Cho hanscho@donga.com.

Tokyo Shinbun reported on July 24 that a Japanese intelligence aircraft approached the skies of the Korean peninsula and were almost in danger of a missile attack from a North Korean fighter.

According to an official from the Self-Defense Forces, as a Japanese intelligence and electronic warfare aircraft, an EP-3, approached the Korean Peninsula at around 10 a.m. last March 2, a North Korean MIG-29 fighter engaged and locked onto the aircraft.

In response to this emergency situation, Japan scrambled two F-15 fighters, but the North Korean fighter quickly cancelled the aim of its missile.

The fighter then locked onto a U.S. RC-135S scout plane that was flying even lower than the Japanese planes. As the interruption by the intimidating action went on for more than twenty minutes, the U.S. scout plane returned to an air base in Japan.

The U.S. revealed the situation at that time, but Japan hasn’t so far.