On Saturday, Defence Minister Yasukazu Hamada instructed the military to prepare to shoot down a North Korean spy satellite if it fell into Japan.
The Defense Ministry stated Hamada might “order the destruction of ballistic missiles” and ordered the Self-Defense Forces to prepare.
Preparations included sending troops to Okinawa to “minimise damage should a ballistic missile fall.”
On Wednesday, official media stated that Kim Jong Un ordered the launch of North Korea’s first spy satellite to counter perceived threats from the US and South Korea.
