North Korea given missile warning ‘for citizen safety’

The military said it would destroy any North Korean missile that violated its territory after Kim Jong-un’s regime told Tokyo it planned to launch a satellite between 31 May and 11 June.

Japan’s chief cabinet secretary, Hirokazu Matsuno, said any launch by North Korea affected the safety of Japanese citizens. “There is a possibility that the satellite may pass through our country’s territory,” he said.

Nuclear-armed North Korea says it has completed its first military spy satellite and Kim has approved final preparations for launching it to orbit.