The Defense Ministry will send 450 Self-Defense Force personnel to Ishigaki Island in Okinawa Prefecture to intercept a North Korean rocket if it poses a danger to Japan, ministry sources said Monday.
The government thinks the possibility of the rocket or its debris falling on Japanese territory is low but is taking preparatory steps anyway.
Under the plan, 200 others will go to Miyako Island in connection with the deployment of ground-based Patriot Advanced Capability-3 interceptors, mainly in Okinawa, the sources said.