Because one of Japan’s Asian neighbors had the nation’s eyes looking north again and again this year.
missiles
The missiles may not be physically crashing into Japan, but their effect is hitting television stations square in the wallet.
People around Japan are spreading news of the J-Alert System and the manual that explains what to do in the event of an armed attack.
Producers of this North Korean military video were probably aiming for fear but instead delivered a two-and-a-half minute funny.
North Korea now has a range of ballistic missiles that are thought to be capable of hitting both the US mainland and American interests throughout the Pacific, The Heritage Foundation reports in its 2016 Index of US Military Strength.
The annual report examines the strength of the US military, and also takes into account potential rising threats to the US and its allies from across the world. According to Heritage, the threat from the nuclear-armed, anti-American authoritarian state will only get more complicated in 2016.