North Korea’s possible Musudan missile launch puts Japan military on alert
Pyongyang appears to have moved intermediate-range projectile to its east coast
Japan’s military is on alert for a possible North Korean ballistic missile launch, a government source said on Tuesday, with media reporting its navy and anti-missile Patriot batteries have been told to shoot down any projectile heading for Japan.
North Korea appears to have moved an intermediate-range missile to its east coast, but there are no signs of an imminent launch, South Korea’s Yonhap news reported, citing an unnamed government source. South Korea’s defence ministry did not have an immediate comment.
Tension in the region has been high since North Korea conducted its fourth nuclear test in January and followed that with a satellite launch and test launches of various missiles, including one last month.
The Japanese government source said there were signs North Korea might be preparing a launch of the intermediate-range Musudan missile, the same missile it attempted to launch last month, prompting the order for the military to go on alert.