Japan deploys Patriot Missiles to counter North Korea’s planned rocket launch
Japan Prepares for N. Korean Missile Launch - AJW by the Asahi Shimbun
Japan will position surface-to-air Patriot missiles on three southern islands to prepare to shoot down a North Korean long-range missile this month if it threatens Japanese territory.
Defense Minister Satoshi Morimoto on Dec. 2 decided on the deployment of Patriot Advanced Capability-3 missile batteries on Okinawa’s main island and on Miyakojima and Ishigakijima, all of which are under the North Korean missile’s likely flight path.
Additionally, Aegis ships, carrying SM-3 interceptor missiles, will deploy to the East China Sea and to the Sea of Japan. Ground Self-Defense Force personnel will be sent to Yonagunijima island to help deal with the event that rocket parts fall on land.
North Korea has said it will launch a rocket southward between Dec. 10 and 22. It informed Washington on Dec. 1 that it would do so before Dec. 17, the first anniversary of the death of former leader Kim Jong Il, a Japanese government official said.