TOKYO: Japan has ordered its military to prepare for a possible missile launch by North Korea after the reclusive nation claimed the launch of its first military spy satellite.
On Saturday, Japanese Minister Yasukazu Hamada instructed the country’s Self-Defense Forces to implement steps necessary to limit destruction in the event of a ballistic missile falling, according to a statement from the Ministry of Defence.
Japan also directs deployment of destroyers
He also directed the deployment of destroyers equipped with SM-3 missile interceptors and military units in the southern prefecture of Okinawa that can operate Patriot PAC-3 missiles.
Placing the satellite into orbit would require a long-range projectile, which North Korea is banned from launching, as such exercises are viewed as tests of ballistic missile technology by the United Nations.
Last week, North Korea claimed a successful test of a solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile, which it said was a breakthrough for the country’s nuclear counterattack capabilities.
The Group of Seven (G7) foreign ministers meeting in Japan on Tuesday demanded that North Korea refrain from any further ballistic missile tests while warning it against carrying out an expected nuclear weapons test and threatening a “robust” response if it did not comply.
