Japan – Tokyo: On Friday the Japan said that it could shoot down North Korean satellite that officials said they plan to launch. Takeo Kawamura the Chief Cabinet Secretary said “Japan is legally able to shoot down the object to secure safety if it looks like it will fall onto Japan,” during a news conference. Japan closely watching the situation
An international organization in North Korea had informed that it plans to launch a satellite. The announcement has triggered international consternation. U.S. and South Korean officials have long said the North is actually preparing to test-fire a long-range missile under the guise of a satellite launch. The North is preparing for war with South.
The missile, Taepodong-2, is thought to have an intended range of about 4,200 miles (6,700 kilometers), which if true could give it the capability of striking Alaska or Hawaii. A U.N. Security Council resolution in 2006 banned North Korea from conducting ballistic missile activity. Japanese officials said they could shoot down the object whether it is a missile or a satellite.
“As the U.N. resolutions prohibit (North Korea) from engaging in ballistic missile activities, we still consider it to be a violation of a technical aspect, even if (the North) claims it is a satellite. We will discuss the matter with related countries based on this view,” said Japanese Foreign Minister Hirofumi Nakasone.
Japan’s Prime Minister Taro Aso added: “No matter what they call it, a satellite or anything, it will violate U.N. Security Council Resolution. We must lodge a stern protest hrough the U.N. and strongly demand it be called off.”
The officials and experts said that the rocket is a rocket for a missile or satellite, the technology is the same. Thus a successful launching of the rocket would demonstrate the North’s missile prowess to a region that has grown increasingly uneasy over its long-range and nuclear threats
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