Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Sheikh Qassem: People of Might Battle was a confrontation by a modest force, incomparable to the enemy's strength, but it was noble in spirit, brimming with courage, resolve, and unwavering faith in victory
Sheikh Qassem: Today, Lebanon is under an Israeli aerial occupation
Sheikh Qassem: The project of "Israel" came crashing into the defenses of the People of Might Battle
Sheikh Qassem: The agreement was reached because we persevered, and because we are strong in terms of our project, our faith, our will, our people, our patriotism, and our attachment to our land
Shaikh Qassem: The ceasefire is a day of victory for the Resistance, Hezbollah, the people, and Lebanon because we prevented the enemy from achieving its goals, foremost among them ending the Resistance
Sheikh Qassem: The assassination of Commander al-Tabatabai and his companions is a blatant act of aggression and a heinous crime. We have the right to respond to it, and we will determine its timing
Sheikh Qassem: We are in an open battlefield where the enemy operates with great ease, in coordination with US, international, and Arab intelligence agencies
Sheikh Qassem: The goal of assassinating the most prominent figure in the battle and rebuilding capabilities was to undermine morale and sow confusion
Hezbollah Secretary-General on the asssassination of Sayyed Haitham Ali al-Tabatabai, Sheikh Naim Qassem: The assassination goal has not and will not be achieved, and we will continue down the same path
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: An Israeli drone targeted a vehicle in the town of al-Qantara

Tokyo orders military to prepare to down DPRK satellite missile

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: Agencies
  • 22 Apr 2023 15:12
3 Min Read

DPRK leader Kim says the satellite launch into orbit has been greenlighted.

  • x
  • Tokyo orders military to prepare to down DPRK satellite missile
    A Japanese Type-03 intermediate-range surface-to-air missile (KYODO)

Japan ordered its military Saturday to prepare to shoot down a DPRK ballistic missile after Pyongyang said this week it was ready to launch its first military spy satellite.

Japan instructed its military to target and destroy a ballistic missile carrying a spy satellite that is set to be launched by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) next, as announced by Pyongyang earlier this week.

Japanese Minister Yasukazu Hamada told the country's armed forces that "there is a possibility of ordering destructive measures against ballistic missiles and others," a Defense Ministry statement said.

Read more: US, South Korea, Japan hold new naval missile defense drills

He ordered troops to "implement measures necessary to limit damage in the event of a ballistic missile falling."

Hamada also requested deploying naval destroyers with SM-3 anti-air missiles and units operating the Patriot PAC-3 missiles in southern Okinawa.

Pyongyang previously carried out test fires on ballistic missiles to send satellites into space in 2012 and 2016 - both of which passed over the Okinawa region.

Read more: China, Ukraine on top of G7 foreign ministers meeting agenda

DPRK leader Kim Jong Un announced on Tuesday that the launch will take place "at the planned date," without further details.

He also revealed that the country concluded building its first military reconnaissance satellite and that he gave the green light for its launch.

Kim gave directions on Tuesday to "make sure that the military reconnaissance satellite No. 1 completed as of April will be launched at the planned date."

The G7 foreign ministers demanded during a meeting in Japan on Tuesday that Pyongyang stop further ballistic missile tests after the East Asian countries carried out a number of test fires this year.

Nuclear tests will be received by a "robust" response, the G7 further warned the DPRK. 

Seoul, Washington, and the United Nations have criticized the tests, and this week, G7 foreign ministers called for the "complete, verifiable, and irreversible abandonment of (the DPRK's) nuclear weapons."

Pyongyang said earlier this week that it has conducted another record-breaking string of launches this year, including test-firing the country's first solid-fuel ballistic missile this month -- a key technical breakthrough for the military.

'Final and irreversible'

The DPRK's status as a nuclear power is "final and irreversible," Pyongyang's Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui underlined on Friday, slamming a G7 call for the country to give up its nukes entirely.

Choe slammed the "extremely interventionist" statement, saying the G7 was "malignantly pulling up" the DPRK's "legitimate exercise of its sovereignty."

"The position of the DPRK as a world-class nuclear power is final and irreversible," the top diplomat stressed in a statement to the official KCNA.

Choe pointed out that the "G7, a closed group of a handful of egoistic countries, does not represent the just international community but serves as a political tool for ensuring the US hegemony."

"We will never seek any recognition and approval from anyone as we are satisfied with our access to the strength for a tit-for-tat strike against the US nuclear threat," she stressed.

Read more: DPRK test-launches 2 ballistic missiles towards Sea of Japan

  • Japan
  • DPRK
  • Okinawa
  • Tokyo

Most Read

Hezbollah announces the martyrdom of Haitham al-Tabatabai

Hezbollah announces the martyrdom of commander Haitham Tabatabai

  • West Asia
  • 23 Nov 2025
A boy tries to stand near missiles displayed in the National Aerospace Park of the Revolutionary Guard, just outside Tehran, Iran, Thursday, Nov. 13, 2025 (AP)

Key Israeli sites destroyed, nuclear docs moved to Tehran: Minister

  • Politics
  • 22 Nov 2025
Hezbollah publishes biography of martyred leader Haitham al-Tabatabai

Hezbollah publishes biography of martyred leader Haitham Tabatabai

  • Politics
  • 23 Nov 2025
13 elite Israeli troops were wounded in a confrontations in Beit Jinn, Syria.

13 elite Israeli troops wounded in confrontations in southern Syria

  • West Asia
  • Today

Coverage

All
In Five

Read Next

All
AI weaponized: 'Israel' scrubs soldiers’ posts to hide atrocities
Technology

AI weaponized: 'Israel' scrubs soldiers’ posts to hide atrocities

z
Politics

Petro: Oil is key to US pressure on Venezuela, not drug trade

The Lafarge cement plant facility is seen Tuesday, October 18, 2022, in Ravena, N.Y. (AP Photo/Hans Pennink)
Politics

Lafarge trial focuses on talks with Syrian armed groups, ISIS links

Denmark sets up Trump ‘night watch’ after Greenland tensions flare
Politics

Denmark sets up Trump ‘night watch’ after Greenland tensions flare

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS