– Japan deploys destroyers and missile batteries as military vows to shoot down any rockets launched from North Korea (Daily Mail, Dec 8, 2012):
The Japanese military is poised to shoot down any missile from North Korea should it threaten to fall on Japanese territory, as Pyongyang prepares for its controversial launch on Monday.
The news comes as new satellite images indicate that snow may have slowed launch preparations after South Korean media reports this week quoted unnamed officials in Seoul as saying North Korea had mounted all three stages of the Unha rocket on the launch pad by Wednesday.
Japan has deployed three destroyers in the Sea of Japan, joining several US warships that are already monitoring the rocket launch. The country has also deployed missile batteries in Toyko, Okinawa and along the coast facing North Korea.