North Korea has notified Japan of its plan to launch what it calls a “satellite” in the coming weeks, the Japanese coast guard said Monday.
Japanese authorities believe the launch will involve a ballistic missile, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s office said on Twitter, referring to a “ballistic missile that (Pyongyang) describes as a satellite.”
Pyongyang informed the Japanese coast guard that it will launch a rocket between May 31 and June 11, which will land in the waters of the Yellow Sea, East China Sea or east of the Philippine island of Luzon, it said. A coast guard spokesman told AFP.
The prime minister’s office tweeted that Kishida issued instructions “regarding North Korea’s notification of the launch of a ballistic missile it describes as a satellite.”
He called for gathering intelligence, remaining vigilant and coordinating closely with allies such as the United States and South Korea, the tweet added.
Pyongyang has intensified its missile launches in recent months, some of which have activated emergency systems in parts of Japan.
Seoul and Tokyo have worked to mend their historically tense relations, including more cooperation in the face of North Korean military threats.