Tokyo: North Korea has notified Japan of a plan to launch what it calls an artificial satellite sometime between Thursday and midnight on Aug. 30.

Debris from or parts of the projectile could fall into the Yellow Sea, the East China Sea and waters east of Luzon Island in the Philippines, according to the notification, which was sent to the Japan Coast Guard via email early Tuesday.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida instructed relevant ministries and agencies to fully prepare for the launch of what is effectively a ballistic missile, as it may fly over the Nansei island chain in southwestern Japan, which includes Ishigaki Island in the southernmost prefecture of Okinawa.

“Even if the launch is of a satellite, it would be a violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions if ballistic missile technology is utilized,” Kishida told reporters at the prime minister’s office Tuesday morning. “It is a serious issue related to the safety of the Japanese people.”

The prime minister instructed government staff to work fully to gather and analyze related intelligence, provide information to the public appropriately, cooperate with the United States and South Korea to strongly urge North Korea not to conduct the launch, and be fully prepared to cope with any contingencies.

On May 29, North Korea gave a notice about a satellite launch plan. Pyongyang conducted the launch on May 31, which ended in failure, and said it would make a second attempt at an early date.

Following the May notice, Japanese Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada issued under the Self-Defense Forces law an order for the SDF to stand ready to shoot down the object in case of its possible fall into Japanese territory.

The order still remains in place.

The Maritime SDF’s Aegis destroyers have been deployed around Japan while the Air SDF has deployed units operating the Patriot Advanced Capability-3, or PAC-3, surface-to-air guided missile system on Ishigaki island and the Okinawa capital of Naha.

The sea areas cited by Pyongyang this time as locations into which debris or parts could fall are the same as those for the May launch.

JIJI Press