Japan will strike any North Korean missile deemed dangerous
| Tokyo
聽will strike any North Korean ballistic missile that threatens to hit聽聽in the coming weeks after聽聽recently fired medium-range missiles, a government source said on Saturday.
Defense Minister聽聽issued the order, which took effect on Thursday and runs through April 25, the day that marks the founding of聽, the source told Reuters on condition of anonymity.
Following the order, meant "to prepare for any additional missile launches," a destroyer was dispatched to the Sea of聽聽and will fire if聽聽launches a missile that聽聽deems in danger of striking or falling on Japanese territory, the source said.
Tensions have been building between聽聽and its neighbours since聽聽鈥� in an apparent show of defiance 鈥� fired two Rodong missiles on March 26, just as the leaders of聽,听聽and the聽were sitting down to discuss containing the North Korean nuclear threat.
That first firing in four years of mid-range missiles that can hit聽聽followed a series of short-range rocket launches over the past two months. The Rodong ballistic missiles fell into the sea after flying 650 km (400 miles), short of a maximum range thought to be some 1,300 km,听听蝉补颈诲.
Since then,听聽has rattled sabres by firing artillery rounds into South Korean waters, prompting the South to fire back;聽聽has test-fired a new ballistic missile with a range of 500 km; and聽聽has threatened an unspecified "new form" of nuclear test.
At the same time,听听补苍诲听聽resumed talks - suspended since聽聽test-launched a long-range missile more than a year ago - over the North's nuclear and missile programmes, as well as the fate of Japanese abducted in the 1970s and 1980s to help train North Korean spies.
Onodera has avoided publicly announcing the new missile-intercept order so as not to put a chill on those talks, Japanese media said.
He also did not deploy Patriot missile batteries that would be the last line of defence against incoming warheads, the source told Reuters.
Japanese Aegis destroyers in the Sea of聽聽are equipped with advanced radar equipment able to track multiple targets and carry missiles designed to take out targets at the edge of space.
Writing by Tim Kelly and William Mallard
