Japan ordered its military Saturday to prepare to shoot down a North Korean ballistic missile after Pyongyang said this week it was ready to launch it’s first military spy satelite.
On Saturday Japanese minister Yasukazu Hamada told the country’s Self-Defense Forces “there is a possibility of ordering destructive measures against ballistic missiles and others”, according to a statement from the ministry of defence.
Hamada instructed troops to “implement measures necessary to limit damage in the event of a ballistic missile falling”.
He ordered preparations for the deployment of destroyers equipped with SM-3 missile interceptors, as well as military units in the southern prefecture of Okinawa that can operate Patriot PAC-3 missiles.
G7 foreign ministers meeting in Japan on Tuesday demanded North Korea refrain from any further ballistic missile tests following a spate of launches this year.
The group of rich nations also warned Pyongyang against carrying out an expected nuclear weapons test and said there would be a “robust” response if it did not comply.
A week ago Pyongyang said it had successfully tested a solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile, hailing it as a breakthrough for the country’s nuclear counterattack capabilities.