According to reports, the North Korean government has informed Japan that it intends to launch a “satellite” between Thursday and August 31 in what is believed to be a repetition of an earlier unsuccessful attempt, according to Kyodo News.
On May 31, Pyongyang attempted to put into orbit what it claimed was a military spy satellite but was unsuccessful.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida gave the relevant government agencies instructions to study North Korea’s plan as thoroughly as possible and work with the US and South Korea to persuade Pyongyang to cancel the launch, according to Kyodo News.
Kyodo News showcases a selection of major stories reported from Japan and other parts of the world.
In violation of Security Council resolutions that have resulted in sanctions being imposed on Pyongyang, Japan, according to Kishida, considers North Korea’s launch of a rocket carrying a satellite to be equivalent to the firing of a ballistic missile. According to the Japan Coast Guard, the North Korean government has declared three maritime danger zones, two of which will be to the west of the Korean Peninsula and one to the east of the Philippine island of Luzon. The three areas do not fall under the Exclusive Economic Zone of Japan.