(Photo : South Korean Defense Ministry via Getty Images)
North Korea has informed Japan of its intention to launch a satellite between May 31 and June 11, prompting Tokyo to put missile defense on alert.
North Korea notified Japan on May 31 to launch a satellite between May 31 and June 11.
On Monday, Japan alerted its ballistic missile defenses and warned that it would fire down any incoming projectiles.
North Korea Plans Satellite Launch in the Coming Days
North Korea, which possesses nuclear weapons, has reportedly completed its first military surveillance satellite, and leader Kim Jong Un has authorized the final launch preparations.
The order by the Japanese defense ministry, the first in response to a North Korean space launch since 2016, comes after Japan in April sent a destroyer carrying Standard Missile-3 (SM-3) interceptors that can hit targets in space to the East China Sea and sent ground-based PAC-3 missiles, designed to strike warheads closer to the ground, to the Okinawan islands.
On Monday, the Japanese prime minister's office tweeted, "We firmly urge North Korea to refrain from launching while cooperating with relevant countries such as the US and South Korea."
Per Reuters, the office stated that the Japanese government would do everything possible to acquire and analyze launch data. Earlier in May, Kim Jong Un inspected a military satellite facility, according to KCNA, the state-run news agency of the North Korean government.
According to VOA News, Kim had approved the next stages of the non-permanent satellite launch preparation committee.
Japan's Chief Cabinet: North Korea Endangers Japanese Citizens
Hirokazu Matsuno, the chief cabinet secretary of Japan, stated that any launch by North Korea, even if classified as a satellite launch, endangers the protection of Japanese citizens.
The government acknowledges that the satellite can pass through our nation's territory. North Korea, which possesses nuclear weapons, has reportedly concluded its first military surveillance satellite, and Kim has authorized the final launch preparations.
According to analysts, a military satellite would enhance North Korea's ability to conduct surveillance and assault targets in the event of a conflict. The ministry stated that it would use its Standard Missile-3 (SM-3) or Patriot Missile PAC-3 to neutralize any such missile launched from North Korea.
Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told reporters that any North Korean missile launch would violate a United Nations Security Council resolution. A spokesperson for the US State Department said the Yonhap news agency that any launch involving ballistic missile technology violates multiple UN Security Council resolutions. Similar technologies are used to launch satellites and ballistic missiles.
Per Guardian, Japan has stated that it will do everything possible to acquire and analyze data from the launch. Previously, North Korean media criticized plans by South Korea, the United States, and Japan to share real-time data on their missile launches, claiming that the three countries were discussing "sinister measures" to strengthen military cooperation.
In recent months, North Korea has conducted a series of missile and weapon tests, including the launch of a new solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).
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