Japan on standby for N Korea ‘satellite’ launch in next two weeks

Pyongyang has previously said work on its first spy satellite has been completed, but Tokyo says the launch could be a ballistic missile.

North Korea on Monday informed neighboring Japan that it plans to launch a satellite in the coming days, which could be an attempt to launch Pyongyang’s first military spy satellite into orbit.

The Japan Coast Guard said the message said the launch window was from May 31 to June 11 and could affect waters in the Yellow Sea, East China Sea and eastern Luzon Island in the Philippines.

North Korea has also conducted a series of missile and weapons tests in recent months, including a new intercontinental solid-fuel ballistic missile (ICBM).

Japan’s prime minister’s office urged North Korea to refrain from launching, saying it would work closely with allies.

“We strongly urge North Korea to refrain from launching,” the prime minister’s office said on Twitter, adding that it would cooperate “with relevant countries, such as the US and South Korea.”

To launch a satellite into space, North Korea would have to use long-range missile technology that is prohibited by United Nations Security Council resolutions. The previous Earth observation satellite launches were seen as missile tests in disguise.

Japan’s chief of cabinet Hirokazu Matsuno said the launch would violate UN resolutions and was a “threat to the peace and security of Japan, the region and the international community”.

Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada ordered the Japanese self-defense force to shoot down the satellite or debris if it entered Japanese territory.

The government said it would do everything it could to collect and analyze information from the launch.

“Pyongyang presumably informed Tokyo of the imminent launch because the missile may be flying over Japanese territory and the Kim regime wants to claim it is conducting a legitimate space program,” Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha Woman’s University in Seoul, to Al Jazeera in email responses. “But the notice does not appear to meet international standards, and any North Korean satellite launch is illegal under UN Security Council resolutions banning North Korean ballistic missile tests.”

North Korea announced in April that it had completed work on its first spy satellite. Earlier this month, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un inspected a military satellite facility and gave the green light to a “future action plan”. Such a launch would use long-range missile technology prohibited by United Nations Security Council resolutions.

Analysts say the spy satellite is part of nuclear-armed North Korea’s efforts to improve surveillance technology, including drones, and improve its ability to hit targets in the event of conflict.

North Korean media had previously criticized plans by South Korea, the United States and Japan to share real-time data on Pyongyang’s missile launches.