Japan ready to shoot down North Korean missiles
Iran Press TV
Sat Apr 5, 2014 10:49PM GMT
Japan has ordered a warship in the Sea of Japan to shoot down any ballistic missiles that may be launched by North Korea in the coming weeks, official sources say.
A Japanese government source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said on Saturday that Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera "made the order from April third through to the 25th to prepare for any additional missile launches" by North Korea, Reuters reported.
Following Onodera's order, the Japanese military sent a destroyer to the Sea of Japan to intercept any North Korean ballistic missiles that may hit the Japanese soil, according to the source.
The new order comes as Pyongyang and Tokyo have resumed talks after more than a year over the North's nuclear and missile programs as well as the fate of the Japanese nationals abducted in North Korea in the 1970s and 1980s.
Japanese media say Onodera has not publically announced the new missile-intercept order so as not to derail Tokyo's negotiations with Pyongyang.
Tensions have been on the rise on the Korean Peninsula in recent weeks as North Korea accuses the South and the United States of "rehearsing for an invasion."
North Korea has recently launched rockets and ballistic missiles into the Sea of Japan after Washington and Seoul began their annual military drills in late February despite Pyongyang's calls for them to be called off to avoid military tensions between the two Koreas.
Pyongyang has frequently announced that its missile tests are solely for the purpose of self-defense. Earlier this month, North Korea said it would also strengthen its nuclear deterrence for self-defense in the face of US threats.
MKA/NN/AS
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