North Korea plans satellite launch as Seoul, U.S. hold drills

Tokyo urges Pyongyang to call off satellite launch; mobilises defence units, naval ships in case of landing in Japan; US, S. Korea, Japan condemn May launch as violation of UN resolutions; Kim Jong Un made satellite development a priority.

North Korea has informed Japan it plans to launch a satellite in the coming days, Tokyo said on August 22, less than three months after a failed effort saw a military satellite plunge into the sea.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida urged Pyongyang to call it off, saying his country was working with South Korea and the United States to gather more information on the sanctions-busting launch.

Tokyo is taking "all possible measures to prepare for any unforeseen eventuality", Mr. Kishida said, adding that missile defence units and naval ships had been mobilised in case the satellite landed in Japanese territory.

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Japan's Coast Guard said the "satellite rocket launch" would take place between August 24 and 31, with three designated danger areas: the Yellow Sea, East China Sea and waters east of the Philippines' Luzon island.

In May, Pyongyang launched what it described as its first military reconnaissance satellite, but the rocket carrying it plunged into the sea minutes after takeoff.

North Korea has vowed to successfully launch a spy satellite, which it claims to have developed as a necessary counterbalance to the growing U.S. military presence in the region, "in the near future".