TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Defense Minister Naoki Tanaka on Friday ordered the Self-Defense Forces to intercept a North Korean rocket if necessary to protect Japan from the rocket and its fragments falling on the country's territory."We want to be fully prepared for the possibility (of rocket pieces) falling onto our country's territory," Tanaka told a news conference.
North Korea continues to defy international calls to refrain from its plan to launch a satellite, which many countries believe is actually a test of a long-range ballistic missile.
Although the government views the odds of the rocket or its debris falling on Japanese land as low, it is keen on demonstrating that it is prepared to protect the people and properties in Japan from such a threat.
It remains unclear, however, whether the country's current missile defense technology can shoot down the rocket for certain. Read More
