Japan ordered the Armed Forces on Saturday to start preparations for launching a spy satellite over North Korea, mainly because of the risk of rocket debris falling on Japanese territory.

Japanese Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada gave the order just days after North Korean leader Kim Jong-un ordered his space agency to begin preparations for the final launch, which has no date yet.

Putting a satellite into orbit requires the use of long-range projectiles. But North Korea is barred from launching it, as the United Nations views such exercises as tests of ballistic missile technology.

Japanese Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada said there was “the possibility of ordering destructive actions against ballistic and other missiles.”

Hamada urged troops to “implement necessary measures to limit damage if a ballistic missile is downed,” AFP news agency reported.

The minister ordered state forces to prepare for the deployment of destroyers equipped with SM-3 missile interceptors, as well as military units in southern Okinawa prefecture that can operate Patriot PAC-3 missiles.

The foreign ministers of the G7, the group of seven most advanced economies, on Tuesday called on North Korea to “refrain” from launching a new missile or nuclear test.

The call by the G7 (Japan, United States, Canada, Germany, France, Italy and United Kingdom) follows Pyongyang’s intensification of its weapons program, which this month launched its first solid-fuel ballistic missile, a major advance for North Korea. Korean army. late.