North Korea notifies Japan of plans to launch satellite
TOKYO (AP) – North Korea yesterday notified neighboring Japan that it plans to launch a satellite in the coming days, which may be an attempt to put Pyongyang’s first military reconnaissance satellite into orbit.
Japan’s coast guard said the notice it received from North Korean waterway authorities said the launch window was from May 31 to June 11, and that the launch may affect waters in the Yellow Sea, East China Sea and east of Luzon in the Philippines.
The coast guard issued a safety warning for ships in the area on those dates because of the possible risks from falling debris.
Japan’s coast guard coordinates and distributes maritime safety information in East Asia, which is likely the reason it was the recipient of North Korea’s notice.
To launch a satellite into space, North Korea would have to use longrange missile technology banned by UN Security Council resolutions. Its past launches of Earth observation satellites were seen as disguised missile tests.
Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said the launch would violate UN resolutions and was a “threat to the peace and safety of Japan, the region and the international community.”
Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada ordered Japan’s SelfDefense Force to shoot down the satellite or debris, if any entered Japanese territory.
Matsuno said it was possible the satellite would enter or pass above Japan’s southwestern islands including Okinawa, where the US has major military bases and thousands of troops.
Japan has already been on standby for falling missile debris from North Korean launches earlier this year and has deployed missile defense systems such as PAC-3 and ship-to-air interceptors in southwestern Japan.
South Korea warned yesterday that North Korea would face consequences if it goes ahead with its launch plan in violation of the UN Security Council resolutions that ban the North from conducting any launch using ballistic technology.