Staff writer

North Korea's rocket launch over Japan on Aug. 31 was designed to demonstrate that the country has bargaining power in negotiations with the United States, and that it is modernizing its military capabilities, John Chipman, director of the International Institute for Strategic Studies, said Friday.

"I think the launching of a missile at this time was intended to remind the U.S. that North Korea regained bargaining chips," chief of the London-based institute said in an interview with The Japan Times. The institute is known for the annual publication Military Balance.