This chapter is about how Japan prepares to respond to provocations from North Korea. As background factors, we need to consider how Japan is altering its security policy, how it is assessing the capacities and intentions of the DPRK and also China, and how it is evaluating the role of China on the Korean Peninsula and of defense cooperation with the United States and the ROK. Unlike the responses of Washington and Seoul to possible provocations from Pyongyang, Tokyo is not focused on direct military involvement. It is emphasizing the broader context while recognizing its limitations in responding militarily.