‘Take cover’ – but where? Japanese helpless over N.Korea threat

Only two percent of those polled said they were “not worried at all.”

Machiko Watanabe, 66, a former office worker, said she was “scared about it every day.”

“I don’t think there is any way to protect yourself. The government and experts say ‘curl yourself in a ball’ and things like that. But there’s no way you can survive.”

– ‘Doesn’t seem real’ –

With the threat growing and missiles becoming an all-too-frequent wake-up call, Japan is seeking to beef up its defences.

Japan’s defence ministry has requested its largest-ever annual budget, seeking to develop systems to intercept simultaneous missile launches and to add a land-based Aegis missile defence scheme to complement its sea-based system.

But some are taking matters into their own hands.

Shelter maker Oribe Seiki Seisakusho, based in the western city of Kobe, has reported a healthy increase in demand given the recent tensions on the Korean peninsula.

“With the North Korean situation as it is, and with the J-alert ringing, people don’t know where to escape to,” Nobuko Oribe, an executive at the firm, told AFP.

Demand is mainly coming from “families who are building new houses and small business owners who want to build shelters for their employees near their factories or offices.”

However, a shelter is not an option for the masses. It takes four months to build and costs a hefty 25 million yen ($226,000) for a unit to keep 13 people safe.

On the streets of Tokyo, some were carrying on regardless.

Ken Tanaka, a 21-year-old freelance web designer, said he “didn’t care” about the launch, believing that the Japanese capital and its 14 million people would be safe in the event of a North Korean attack.

“I don’t think North Korea would dare to attack Tokyo and the capital area. I’m not thinking about it very much as a Tokyo resident,” he told AFP.

“I’m 21 years old and it doesn’t seem real to me.”