Japan Maintains Patriot System Despite End of North Korea Satellite Warning Period... Continued Vigilance

North Korea's announced period for launching a reconnaissance satellite ended at midnight on the 11th, but the Japanese government has decided to maintain the deployment of Patriot missile interception units for the time being, Asahi Shimbun reported.

The Ministry of Defense is believed to have judged that vigilance must continue for the time being, as North Korea, after failing to launch the reconnaissance satellite on the 31st of last month, had announced an early second launch.

Patriot missiles possessed by the Japan Self-Defense Forces

Earlier, Defense Minister Hamada Yasukazu issued a "destruction order" allowing the Self-Defense Forces to intercept falling debris during the period North Korea announced its satellite launch. In this regard, Patriot surface-to-air missile units were deployed on three islands in Okinawa Prefecture, and Aegis ships equipped with interceptor missiles were deployed in the East China Sea.

North Korea had notified Japan and the International Maritime Organization (IMO) in advance that it would launch a satellite between midnight on the 31st of last month and midnight on the 11th of this month. Although it launched a projectile on the first day of the announced period, the launch failed, and North Korea stated it would "carry out a second launch as soon as possible." Furthermore, after the IMO adopted a resolution condemning North Korea's missile launches, North Korea responded by indicating that it might no longer provide prior notification even if it launches satellites in the future.

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