September 22, 2004
TOKYO, Japan (AP) -- Japan has received intelligence indicating that North Korea may be preparing to test launch a short-range missile, an official said Thursday.
Information from spy satellites and radio waves has shown North Korea beefing up troops and equipment around missile launch bases, said Shigemi Terui, a spokesman at the prime minister's office.
The government has set up an emergency task-force team to help gather more information, Terui said.
The communist country test fired short-range anti-ship missiles into the ocean on several occasions last year during an international standoff over its nuclear weapons program.
Japanese media earlier reported North Korea was preparing to test launch a short-range Nodong missile.
Nodong missiles have a range of about 1,300 kilometers (810 miles) and would be capable of striking parts of Japan's main islands, major Japanese daily the Yomiuri Shimbun said.
Officials estimate that it could take about two weeks before a possible launch, it said.
Japan dispatched an Aegis-equipped destroyer and other surveillance equipment to the Sea of Japan Tuesday evening following the discovery, the Yomiuri said.
A Maritime Self-Defense Forces spokesman, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the Aegis destroyer Myoko had left port for training. He was in Maizuru, the home port of the vessel identified in the Yomiuri report.
Another official at Sasebo naval base, home port to Japan's MSDF ships, said he had been instructed not to speak to the media about the report.
Officials are also preparing for the possibility of a longer-range, Taepodong ballistic missile launch, the Yomiuri said.
North Korea launched a Taepodong missile over Japan's main island and into the Pacific Ocean in 1998, demonstrating that virtually any target in Japan was within its range.
It also test-fired short-range anti-ship missiles into the ocean on several occasions last year.
The communist country sometimes stages high-profile military actions in an apparent attempt to gain leverage over its perceived enemies.
http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/asiapcf/09/22/nkorea.missile.ap/index.html