The government has ordered the Self-Defense Forces to be ready at any time to shoot down North Korean missiles that threaten to strike Japan, putting personnel on a state of alert for at least three months, a Defense Ministry official said.
Up to now, the government has issued temporary orders when it has indications of an imminent North Korean missile launch.
However, because some test firings are hard to detect, it has decided to put the SDF on standby for a longer period. The order will be reviewed after three months, NHK reported Monday.