TOKYO (AP) — Japan's defense minister Friday ordered missile units to intercept a long-range rocket expected to be launched by North Korea if the rocket or its fragments threaten to hit Japan.
The Unha-3 rocket is expected to fly past western Japan
after its launch from North Korea's west coast sometime between April
12 and 16. The plan has raised concerns that a failed launch, or a
falling stage of the rocket, could endanger Japanese lives or property.
Friday's order from Defense Minister Naoki Tanaka
came at a meeting of Japan's national security council and followed
earlier instructions for the military to prepare to intercept the
rocket if it enters Japanese territory.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Osamu Fujimura urged people to stay calm, saying the military is preparing "just in case.
"We don't believe anything would fall over Japan's territory. Please carry out your daily lives and business as usual," he said.
A
statement from the Defense Ministry said Japan would send destroyers
equipped with Aegis missile defense systems to the Pacific and East
China Sea and deploy mobile Patriot missile launchers in Okinawa. An interceptor missile unit is also likely to be deployed in Tokyo, although the capital is far from the expected flight path.
North
Korea has said the launch will send a satellite into orbit to study its
crops and natural resources. Japan, the United States and other
countries claim the launch is a cover for testing long-range missiles,
in violation of international agreements.
Seoul has also warned it might shoot down any parts of the North Korean rocket heading for South Korean territory.
Japan mobilized its interceptor units but did not follow through when North Korea launched a rocket in 2009.
Interceptor
missiles on the Japanese destroyers would be the first line of defense,
and the land-based Patriot missiles would be a backup. Japan has
successfully tested its interceptor missiles but has never used them in
a real-world situation.
Brought to you by Miles Adongo
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