TOKYO — Japan's Defense Minister yesterday ordered missile units to intercept a rocket expected to be launched by North Korea next month if it flies over Japan. The order from Defense Minister Naoki Tanaka came at a meeting of Japan's national security council. It followed instructions issued earlier in the week for the military to prepare to intercept the satellite rocket if it enters Japanese territory. The Unha-3 rocket is expected to fly past western Japan after its launch from North Korea's west coast sometime between April 14 and 16. The plan has raised concerns that a failed launch, or a falling stage of the rocket, could endanger Japanese lives or property. A statement from the Defense Ministry said Japan would send destroyers equipped with Aegis missile defense systems to the Pacific and East China Sea and deploy mobile Patriot missile launchers to islands in Okinawa. An interceptor missile unit is also likely to be deployed in Tokyo, although the capital is well away from the expected flight path. Seoul has also warned it might shoot down any parts of the North Korean rocket that pass over South Korean territory. North Korea has said it plans to launch a satellite into orbit. Japan, the United States and other countries claim it is also seeking to test the capabilities of its long-range missiles, in violation of international agreements. Japan mobilised its interceptor units and issued a similar warning to North Korea before a rocket launch in 2009, but did not follow through. Interceptor missiles on the Japanese destroyers would serve as the first line of defense, and the land-based Patriot missiles would be a backup. Japan has successfully tested its interceptor missiles, but has never used them in a real-world situation. Two South Korean newspapers said North Korea has test fired two short-range missiles off its west coast. The Chosun Ilbo said the two missiles launched Thursday were surface-to-ship missiles. The newspaper said it learned from an unnamed military official the launch was aimed at improving the missile's performance, and was unrelated to next month's scheduled rocket launch. Another mainstream newspaper JoongAng Ilbo published a similar report. South Korea's office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff declined to confirm the reports, citing its policy of not speaking publicly on matters involving intelligence activities. Reclusive North Korea has said it is merely sending a weather satellite into space, but South Korea and the United States say it is a disguised ballistic missile test. The secretive North has twice tested a nuclear device, but experts doubt whether it yet has the ability to miniaturise an atomic bomb to fit inside a warhead. The North has said the launch would take place between April 12 and 16. The planned launch, which has even drawn criticism from ally China, will mark the 100th birth anniversary of state founder Kim Il-sung.
