The Self-Defense Forces finished Wednesday removing Patriot Advanced Capability-3 batteries deployed in Okinawa for North Korea's rocket launch.
A Maritime Self-Defense Force transport ship pulled out of the city of Okinawa carrying PAC-3 launchers and other equipment deployed to two locations on the main Okinawa island.
The SDF deployed the batteries to the main island and elsewhere in the prefecture to intercept the North Korean rocket or its debris if Japanese territory had been threatened.
The rocket was launched Friday morning, but it fell into the Yellow Sea shortly after liftoff. Pyongyang said the launch was to put a satellite into orbit, a claim disputed by other countries as a cover to test long-range ballistic missile technology.