Japan, U.S. considering deploying unmanned aircraft

Japan and the United States are considering deploying the Global Hawk unmanned high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft at a U.S. military base in Japan to enhance surveillance over North Korea, bilateral sources said Saturday.

Pyongyang has reportedly moved what appears to be a mid-range missile to its east coast facing Japan, while it also announced recently it will restart a nuclear reactor that can produce weapons-grade material in defiance of international agreements.

The U.S. base in Misawa, Aomori Prefecture, is under consideration as one deployment location, among others, according to the sources.

Currently, three Global Hawks are deployed at a U.S. base in Guam to monitor the activities of Chinese naval forces and others mainly in the west Pacific.

While the latest deployment plan will enable Tokyo and Washington to observe North Korea more frequently, there is apprehension among sections of the U.S. Defense Department due to the cost involved.

It is also expected that the deployment will stir opposition among people in Japan living near the U.S. base that will eventually be chosen to host the aircraft.

Equipped with sophisticated cameras and highly sensitive communications-receiving abilities, the Global Hawk can fly at about 18,000 meters, roughly twice as high as commercial passenger aircraft, for more than 30 hours on autopilot.

The aircraft does not have offensive capability.

In Japan, the Global Hawk was deployed to monitor the nuclear crisis-hit Fukushima Daiichi power plant following the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami.

Japan’s Defense Ministry is considering the eventual introduction of Global Hawks, while South Korea has decided to procure four of them to enhance its surveillance of North Korea.