Japan military readies to shoot down North Korean missile

Tokyo: After North Korea this week said that it is ready to launch its first military spy satellite, Japan has retaliated by ordering its military to shoot down Pyongyang's ballistic missile.

The launch date is unclear as leader Kim Jong Un only said the satellite will be sent up "at the planned date". Pyongyang, a week ago, said that it has successfully tested a solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile. It was hailed as a breakthrough for the country's nuclear counterattack capabilities.

Japanese minister Yasukazu Hamada on Saturday told the Self-Defense Forces that there is a possibility of ordering destructive measures against ballistic missiles and others. He instructed troops to "implement measures necessary to limit damage in the event of a ballistic missile falling."

He also 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 on Tuesday met in Japan and demanded that North Korea refrain from further ballistic missile tests and an expected nuclear weapons test. They also stated that noncompliance will lead to a "robust" response.

North Korea is banned by the UN from launching long-range projectile missiles because it is viewed as a test of ballistic missile technology. And the country needs long-range projectiles to place the satellite into orbit.

When North Korea tested ballistic missiles in 2012 and 2016, the government termed them satellite launches. Both times, the missiles flew over the Okinawa region in Japan. The Japanese defence ministry had issued the same preparation orders in 2012 as well.