Japan issues missile destruction order after Pyongyang announces satellite launch
The Government of Japan has issued this Monday an order to prepare to destroy North Korean ballistic missiles. after North Korea notified Tokyo of plans to launch a satellite in the coming days.
The Ministry of Defense, which has issued a “destruction order”has directed the Japanese Self-Defense Forces to shoot down rockets, according to the news agency Kiodo.
Prime Minister of Japan, Fumio Kishidahas called for analyzing the information, cooperating with the United States and South Korea to “strongly demand” that Pyongyang “refrain from the launch.” and ensure “full preparedness for unforeseen circumstances”.
“Any missile launch by North Korea, even if it is called a ‘satellite’, Is a serious violation of the relevant UN Security Council resolutions. and a serious problem for the security of the Japanese people,” Kishida explained, as reported in the newspaper The Japan Times.
Thus, the government spokesman, Hirokazu Matsunoat a press conference, has condemned North Korea’s missile launch, a move that he considered as a “a serious provocation to security.” of the archipelago. He also pointed out that there is a possibility that the rocket could pass through Japanese territory.
Japan issued a similar order in February 2016., the last time North Korea attempted to put a satellite into orbit, an attempt that is believed to have failed. Earlier this month, North Korean President Kim Jong Un visited a facility that assembles what state media claimed was the country’s first spy satellite designed to monitor U.S. and allied forces in Asia.
