日本部屬“愛國者-3”攔截朝鮮發射物

Japan's ASDF starts moving missile units northeastward ahead of DPRK's planned rocket launch

Japan's Air Self-Defense Force (ASDF) on Sunday start moving Patriot guided-missile units from central Japan to locations in northeastern areas to brace for the planned rocket launch by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), Kyodo News reported.

The ASDF's Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) missiles units are expected to back up the Maritime Self-Defense Force's (MSDF) Aegis guided-missile destroyers and shoot down possible rocket fragments that may fall on the areas in case that the destroyers fail to intercept the rocket.

On Saturday, the MSDF destroyers Kongou and Choukai, both equipped with Standard Missile-3 ballistic missile interceptors, departed from their base in Sasebo, Nagasaki Prefecture for the Sea of Japan to intercept the rocket if the launch goes awry. Meanwhile, another MSDF Aegis destroyer "Kirishima" left its base in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, for the Pacific Ocean to track the rocket's trajectory.

The deployments came after the Japanese government made an unprecedented decision Friday to order the SDF units to prepare for an event in which a DPRK's projectile might fall onto Japan's territory.

The DPRK has announced that it is to send up a communication satellite as part of a peaceful space program between April 4 and 8, but countries such as Japan, the United States and South Korea believed that it may in fact plan to test-fire a long-range ballistic missile "Taepodong-2".

日本航空自衛隊29日開始將部署在東部靜岡縣自衛隊基地的“愛國者－3”型地對空攔截導彈轉移到北部的秋田縣和巖手縣，準備攔截朝鮮發射物。

共同社報道，載有“愛國者－３”型導彈的發射器和相關裝備的數十輛車當天上午抵達靜岡縣清水港，下午用輪渡運往宮城縣，計劃３０日通過陸路從宮城縣運往秋田、巖手兩縣。

報道說，日方將把接收雷達情報的裝置等指揮系統部署在位于秋田縣男鹿市的航空自衛隊加茂分屯基地，在位于秋田市和巖手縣瀧澤村的陸上自衛隊演習場分別部署兩臺導彈發射器。

同一天，日本防衛省在總部所在地向媒體公開了部署在東京的兩臺“愛國者－３”型導彈發射器。

朝鮮方面此前宣布，定于４月４日至８日期間發射“光明星２號”試驗通信衛星。美國、日本、韓國官員則認為朝鮮發射的可能是大浦洞２型洲際彈道導彈。

日本政府２７日召開安全保障會議，決定由防衛大臣濱田靖一啟動針對朝鮮發射物的“摧毀”命令，期限至４月１０日。按照朝鮮的發射計劃，發射物只是越過秋田和巖手兩縣上空，不會落入日本境內。