Japan threatened to drop any missile that poses a threat to its territory after North Korea indicated its intention to launch its first military reconnaissance satellite within the next two weeks.
Japan’s Defense Ministry said on Monday it had put its ballistic missile defenses on alert and was preparing for “destructive measures” after Pyongyang gave a rare notification via the International Maritime Organization of a planned satellite launch between May 31 and June 11.
North Korea claimed last month to have completed work on its first military reconnaissance satellite, as leader Kim Jong Un develops the breadth and complexity of his country’s weapons programs.
The presence of a spy satellite enhances North Korea’s ability to launch a preemptive strike as well as monitor potential incoming threats from the United States and South Korea.
Kim visited the North Korean space agency earlier this month to approve plans to launch the satellite. During the visit, which coincided with the United States and South Korea conducting large-scale air exercises, it was claimed that the reconnaissance satellite program was defensive in nature.
State media reported at the time that Kim said North Korea would “exercise its sovereignty and just right of self-defense” in response to “confrontational moves” from Washington and Seoul.
North Korea has previously successfully launched two satellites, most recently in 2016, which it said were for “earth observation” operations.
Japan’s Defense Ministry warned Monday that it will use a Standard-3 missile or a Patriot PAC-3 missile to shoot down a North Korean missile or debris if it enters Japanese territory. The launch trajectory can cover waters in the Yellow Sea, East China Sea, and eastern Luzon Island in the Philippines.
The United States, Japan and South Korea maintain that any satellite launch using ballistic missile technology violates several UN Security Council resolutions banning Pyongyang’s ballistic missile tests.
In a joint statement, the three countries’ nuclear envoys warned that if North Korea goes ahead with the launch, there will be a firm and unified response from the international community.
North Korea in October fired a ballistic missile at Japan for the first time since 2017, prompting emergency public warnings. Last month, a North Korean missile launched an evacuation order on the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told reporters on Monday that the satellite launch violated UN Security Council resolutions. “Even if it is classified as a satellite, we consider launches using ballistic missile technology . . . as a serious public safety issue.
Kishida added that he was willing to meet Kim in person, and said Tokyo would work closely with Washington and Seoul to address tensions with Pyongyang.
Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno confirmed earlier this month that Tokyo and Seoul are sharing real-time data on North Korean missile launches via the United States, their mutual ally.
