FRIDAY, MARCH 14, 2003
Japan deploys surveillance ship near N Korea
AP
TOKYO: Japan has sent a high-tech surveillance battleship to the Sea of Japan, the defence agency said on Thursday, amid Japanese reports North Korea could be preparing an intermediate-range ballistic missile test.
Defence agency Spokesman Yoshiyuki Ueno confirmed that the Aegis-equipped destroyer, with top-of-the-line surveillance capabilities, has been dispatched to the Sea of Japan, which lies between Japan and North Korea.
Ueno refused to say when it was deployed, and described its mission as part of regular patrol activities.
But the dispatch came as two major Japanese newspapers reported North Korea appears to be making final preparations to test-launch its Rodong ballistic missile.
The Yomiuri, Japan's largest newspaper, said US military officials in Japan had notified their Japanese counterparts of the possibility last Friday, after North Korean army vehicles were spotted gathering near several launching sites in the northeast and other parts of the isolated communist country.
The Rodong, first tested in 1993, has an estimated range of up to 1,500 km, which would mean it could reach most anywhere in Japan.
Tensions have been especially high in the region recently.
On Monday, North Korea test-fired a short-range missile It had also conducted a test launch on the eve of the inauguration of South Korea's new president on February 24.
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