Japan, US discuss N Korea's rocket launch

Japan's Defense Minister Naoki Tanaka and US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta have reaffirmed that their countries will work closely together to respond to North Korea's planned rocket launch. The two officials talked over the phone and agreed that the launch violates UN Security Council resolutions that demand North Korea halt its missile development, according to Japan's (NHK WORLD) website. Tanaka said he had ordered the Self-Defense Forces to intercept any debris that falls onto Japanese territory from a North Korean rocket to be launched in mid-April. Panetta stressed the need to demonstrate the strong alliance between the two countries. They also agreed that Japan's Self-Defense Forces and the US military will share information on the matter. North Korea has said it will launch a rocket carrying a satellite between April 12th and April 16th, but many countries believe the launch is a disguised long-range ballistic missile test.