HAMAMATSU, Shizuoka Pref. (Kyodo) The Air Self-Defense Force began moving Patriot missile defense batteries from central Japan to northern Honshu on Sunday in anticipation of North Korea launching a test rocket.
The units, which fire Patriot Advanced Capability-3 missiles, will back up the Maritime Self-Defense Force's Aegis guided-missile destroyers that are moving to the Sea of Japan and the Pacific Ocean ahead of the launch.
North Korea says it will place a satellite in orbit between next Saturday and April 8. Japan, South Korea and the United States believe the launch is a cover for test-firing a long-range ballistic missile, which is expected to fly over northeastern Japan.