Japan Successfully Launches Intelligence-Gathering Satellite to Watch for North Korean Missiles

Japan Successfully Launches Intelligence-Gathering Satellite to Watch for North Korean Missiles
An H2A rocket is lifted from the launch pad at Tanegashima Space Center in Kagoshima, southern Japan, on Jan. 12, 2024. Kyodo News via AP
The Associated Press
Updated:
0:00

TOKYO—Japan successfully launched a rocket carrying a government intelligence-gathering satellite Friday on a mission to watch movements at military sites in North Korea and to improve responses to natural disasters.

The H2A rocket, launched by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd., lifted off from the Tanegashima Space Center in southwestern Japan, carrying the optical satellite as part of Tokyo’s reconnaissance effort to rapidly build up its military capability.