Japan Prepares to Shoot Down North Korea Satellite If It Falls on Japan

The Japanese flag flies in a park in Osaka, Japan, on Oct. 30, 2018. Thomas White/Reuters

TOKYO—Japan’s Defence Minister Yasukazu Hamada on Saturday ordered the country’s military to prepare to shoot down a North Korean spy satellite should it fall within Japan’s territory.

Hamada ordered the Self-Defense Forces to make necessary preparations as he could potentially “order the destruction of ballistic missiles,” the Defense Ministry said in a statement.