The Yomiuri Shimbun –
TOKYO — A Japanese government order to shoot down a North Korean missile scheduled to be launched next month could come as soon as Friday, government sources said, as Japan ramps up its preparations to deal with the threat.
Issuance of the order to the Self-Defense Forces could come after Friday’s meeting of the Security Council of Japan, which is chaired by Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda, the sources said.
The Defense Ministry will deploy three Aegis-equipped destroyers in the East China Sea, the Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Japan to track the missile, they said.
North Korea announced this month it will launch an “Earth observation satellite” sometime between April 12 and 16 to mark the centennial of state founder Kim Il Sung’s birthday, which falls on April 15. It is widely believed that North Korea actually plans to test-fire a long-range missile.
To prepare for a “double-stage interception,” the ministry will deploy ground-based Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) interceptors mainly in Okinawa Prefecture, the sources said.
During talks with Okinawa Gov. Hirokazu Nakaima at the Okinawa prefectural government building Saturday, Foreign Minister Koichiro Gemba was quoted as saying the government is doing everything it can to beef up defenses ahead of the launch.
Aegis destroyers and PAC-3s were deployed ahead of North Korea’s launch of a ballistic missile in 2009.
Gemba asked for cooperation from Nakaima because the government “will definitely need to have consultations” with Okinawa’s government over Pyongyang’s upcoming launch.
The government will not intercept a missile, satellite or launch vehicle when they fly over Japanese territory, the sources said. However, if there is a possibility that the missile or its fragments might fall on Japanese territory or waters, Standard Missile-3 interceptors aboard the Aegis vessels will be fired to shoot them down in outer space, the sources said.
If the interceptors miss, the PAC-3s will shoot down the target as it re-enters the atmosphere, they said.
The Aegis destroyers to be deployed in waters around Japan will likely be the Kirishima, Myoko and Chokai, the sources said.
PAC-3 interceptors will be deployed on the main Okinawa island as well as Miyakojima island and Ishigakijima island, which are near the missile’s likely trajectory, they said.
The government is considering deploying PAC-3s in the Tokyo metropolitan area to defend the capital in case North Korea’s missile veers off course, according to the sources.
The missile’s first-stage booster is expected to fall in the Yellow Sea, and the second in the Pacific off Luzon, the Philippines, they said.
