Yasukazu Hamada, the defence minister of Japan, gave the go-ahead on Saturday for the military to be ready to fire down a North Korean spy satellite should it come into Japanese airspace.
Hamada told the Self-Defense Forces to take the required precautions because he may “order the destruction of ballistic missiles,” according to a statement from the Defence Ministry.
As part of the preparations, plans were made to send soldiers to Okinawa’s southernmost prefecture in order to “minimize damage should a ballistic missile fall.”
According to state media on Wednesday, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said that preparations for the scheduled launch of the nation’s first spy satellite should go forward to counter perceived threats from the United States and South Korea.
