Two key opposition parties agreed Wednesday to delay submitting a censure motion against Defense Minister Naoki Tanaka until after North Korea's planned rocket launch, opposition lawmakers said.
The Liberal Democratic Party has wanted to submit the motion to the Diet before the planned launch, but political ally New Komeito objected. The motion will target Tanaka's inexperience and limited knowledge on security issues.
North Korea has said it will launch an "Earth observation satellite" using a rocket sometime between April 12 and 16 to mark the centennial of the April 15 birth of the country's late founder, Kim Il Sung.