Japan has threatened to shoot down any projectile that poses a threat to its territory after North Korea said it intends to launch its first military surveillance satellite within the next two weeks.
Japan’s defense ministry said on Monday it had put its ballistic missile defense system on alert and was preparing to “take measures” after Pyongyang gave a rare notification through the International Maritime Organization of a planned satellite launch between May 31 and June 11. destructive measures”.
North Korea claimed last month to have completed work on its first-ever military surveillance satellite, as leader Kim Jong Un develops the breadth and complexity of his state weapons program.
An operational spy satellite would enhance North Korea’s ability to conduct pre-emptive strikes and monitor potential threats from the United States and South Korea.
Kim Jong-un visited North Korea’s space agency earlier this month to approve the satellite’s launch plan. During his visit, which coincided with large-scale air exercises by the United States and South Korea, he claimed that the reconnaissance satellite program was defensive in nature.
Kim Jong Un said North Korea would “exercise its sovereign and legitimate right of self-defense” in response to “confrontational actions” by Washington and Seoul, state media reported at the time.
North Korea has previously successfully launched two satellites, the last in 2016, allegedly for an “Earth observation” operation.
Japan’s Defense Ministry warned on Monday that it would use its Standard Missile-3 or Patriot Missile PAC-3 to shoot down North Korean missiles or debris if they entered Japanese territory. The launch trajectory can cover the Yellow Sea, the East China Sea and the waters east of Luzon Island in the Philippines.
The United States, Japan and South Korea insist that any satellite launch using ballistic missile technology would violate several United Nations Security Council resolutions banning Pyongyang from conducting ballistic missile tests.
In a joint statement, the three countries’ nuclear envoys warned that the international community would respond harshly and unitedly if North Korea “goes ahead with the launch”.
In October, North Korea fired a ballistic missile over Japan for the first time since 2017, triggering an emergency public alert. Last month, a North Korean missile triggered an evacuation order on Japan’s northern island of Hokkaido.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told reporters on Monday that the satellite launch would violate UN Security Council resolutions. “Even though it’s tagged as a satellite, we’re considering launching it using ballistic missile technology. . . as a serious issue for public safety,” he said.
Kishida added that he was ready to meet Kim in person and said Tokyo would work closely with Washington and Seoul to resolve tensions with Pyongyang.
Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno confirmed earlier this month that Tokyo and Seoul were working to share real-time data on North Korean missile launches through mutual ally the United States.