Japan readies to deal with North Korean missiles

The Japanese government reaffirmed on Thursday that it is fully prepared for possible multiple and simultaneous launches of ballistic missiles by North Korea, and it is constantly gathering information. "The government will respond to the matter as a team with a tense feeling," Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told reporters, as Pyongyang appears to be making preparations to launch ballistic missiles from its east coast at any time. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said, separately, that Tokyo is sharing information with the US and South Korea, stressing that the government is taking all possible measures to protect its citizens from the North's possible ballistic missile launches. "In collaboration with the relevant countries, we are calling on North Korea to stop provocations through diplomatic channels," the top government spokesman said. To intercept missiles or debris if they appear to be falling on the Japanese territory, the Defense Ministry has deployed ground-based Patriot Advanced Capability-3 interceptor missiles at the ministry's headquarters and two other Self-Defense Force bases in the Tokyo metropolitan area. The ministry has also deployed two Aegis destroyers equipped with Standard Missile-3 interceptor systems in the Sea of Japan.