Three Maritime Self-Defense Force destroyers departed for the East China Sea Saturday ahead of a planned rocket launch by North Korea.
The Kirishima and the Chokai, equipped with sea-based interceptor missiles and Aegis combat systems, left the Sasebo naval base in Nagasaki Prefecture, while the Myoko left Maizuru base in Kyoto Prefecture to shoot down the rocket if it begins falling over Japanese territory.
Meanwhile, an Aegis-equipped ship from the U.S. Navy left the Sasebo base later Saturday.