Japan is getting nervous about being neighbors with a country ruled by a mad man and have decided to instruct it’s citizens on what to do in case North Korea drops the big one.  Actually, the guide gives advice on all types of bombs but there is no way to distinguish which has been dropped on you till it hits, leaving you no time to react.  Sales of underground bomb shelters have greatly increased along with air purifiers in recent months.  The Japanese government does have a warning system they broadcast on TV and radio but because of the close proximity of North Korea, citizens could have as little as ten minutes to respond.

“A missile may not be detected as soon as it leaves the launch pad,” Osaka Mayor Hirofumi Yoshimura told reporters in Tokyo, according to the Japan Times. “Depending on the case, the warnings and alarms might only sound four or five minutes before a missile arrives.”

North Korea demonstrated its ability to strike Japan in early March, when it fired four extended-range scuds into the Sea of Japan. Pyongyang announced afterwards that the Korean People’s Army was rehearsing for a missile attack on U.S. bases in Japan. Post-war animosity, as well as the alliance with the U.S., make Japan a prime target.

The people of Japan are clearly concerned about the growing threat posed by North Korea’s pursuit of ballistic missiles with greater ranges and nuclear bombs with higher explosive yields.

Japan has begun having evacuation drills in case of a missile attack.  In addition, the Japanese  Cabinet Secretariat Civil Protection Portal Site has posted instructions and have received 2.6 million hits this month.  Last month it received only 450,000 hits.