Japan yesterday readied its missile defence systems to shoot down a North Korean rocket if it threatens the country, as the UN chief warned that next month's launch could jeopardise food aid.
"I have ordered officials to prepare to deploy the PAC-3 and Aegis warships," Japan's Defence Minister Naoki Tanaka told reporters, referring to surface-to-air missiles and destroyers carrying missiles.
The nuclear-armed North has announced it will launch a rocket in mid-April to put a satellite into orbit, a move that the United States, South Korea and other nations see as a pretext for a long-range missile test banned by the UN.
The move by North Korea's new leadership has set off alarm bells across the region. The Philippines is calling for help from the United States to monitor the rocket, part of which is expected to land off the archipelago.
Amid mounting tensions, North Korea's main ally China urged that "all parties should keep calm and exercise restraint", while a special adviser to US President Barack Obama warned any launch will generate a "strong response."
"If they go ahead anyway, we will want to work with our allies and partners for a strong response," Gary Samore, arms control coordinator at the National Security Council, told South Korea's Yonhap news agency in an interview.
The preparations by Japan, regularly the target of North Korean barbs, come as world leaders including Obama prepare to meet in Seoul for a summit officially focused on nuclear terrorism.
The North's atomic programme is expected to be the subject of discussion at the talks on Monday and Tuesday, which are also to be attended by the leaders of China, Japan and Russia.
Leading North Korean newspaper Rodong Sinmun yesterday again blasted the upcoming summit as a "burlesque" and part of a South Korean smear campaign.
It said Seoul's rulers hope to use the event to escalate the "nuclear racket" against the North and moves for a war against it.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, who plans to raise the rocket launch at the Seoul summit, said any launch could discourage international aid donors and worsen North Korea's already dire humanitarian situation.