Japan readies to shoot down North Korea spy satellite debris

Apr 23 (Al Jazeera) - Japan has activated missile interceptors and is preparing to shoot down any fragments from a North Korean satellite that may fall on Japanese territory.

Defence Minister Yasukazu Hamada on Saturday instructed troops to ready PAC-3 surface-to-air missiles in southwestern Japan, including Okinawa and nearby islands, in an area believed to be under a flight path of a North Korean rocket that will carry the satellite.

He also ordered the deployment of destroyers equipped with SM-3 ship-to-air missiles to coastal waters, according to a ministry statement.

“We are making the necessary preparations because of the possibility of issuing an order to destroy ballistic missiles and other objects,” it said.

Hamada instructed troops to “implement measures necessary to limit damage in the event of a ballistic missile falling”.

An order to fire missiles has to be approved by the prime minister.

North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un said earlier this week its first military spy satellite will be launched on an unspecified date. ...continue reading

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