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☆ Flying is getting scary. But is it still safe?
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-24 | by ( Chris Isidore | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Another Boeing jet plunged so severely that passengers were thrown onto the ceiling of the cabin, leaving dozens so injured they need to be hospitalized upon landing. Carlos Avila Gonzalez/The San Francisco Chronicle/Getty Images/FileHowever, other forms of flying are not nearly as safe. “Taking the Max out of the equation, (flying has) been proven to be pretty darn safe,” he said. A year ago, the discussion about air safety wasn’t focused on Boeing planes. “The gold standard is melting down, because we continue to try to downplay everything and talk about how safe the system is.

Persons: Kardashian, ”, Anthony Brickhouse, “, it’s, Carlos Avila Gonzalez, Ed Pierson, Max, Pierson, ” Brickhouse, We’ve, That’s, Brickhouse Organizations: New, New York CNN, Alaska Airlines, Boeing, Japanese Coast Guard, Embry, Riddle Aeronautical University, Asiana Airlines, San Francisco International, San Francisco Chronicle, Railroads, Amtrak, Foundation for Aviation Safety, Max, Alaska Air, National Transportation Safety Board, FedEx, an Air Canada, San Francisco International Airport, NTSB, Air Canada, “ Pilots Locations: New York, Tokyo, Buffalo , New York, United States, San Francisco, Southwest, Alaska, “, Hawaii

☆ Japan Airlines names former cabin attendant as first female president
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-18 | by ( ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Tokyo — Japan Airlines has named its first female president, a former cabin attendant who rose through the ranks to senior management, taking a deeply symbolic step in a country struggling to close a vast gender gap at work. “There are female employees out there who are struggling with their career steps or going through big life events,” Tottori told a news conference. Airline safety is under a fresh spotlight after a collision between a JAL plane and a Japanese Coast Guard aircraft at Tokyo’s Haneda airport this month. JAL has said Tottori acquired a “high level of insight and field experience” in safety operations and service. The current president, Yuji Akasaka, will become chairperson while continuing to hold a representative director title, the airline said in its statement.

Persons: Mitsuko Tottori, Yuji Akasaka, Yoshiharu Ueki Organizations: Japan Airlines, JAL, OECD, Airline, Japanese Coast Guard Locations: Tokyo, Tottori, Japan, Haneda

☆ Please stop ignoring your flight attendants
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-14 | by ( Leslie Josephs | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

A display showing the 'fasten your seatbelt' sign and the 'no smoking' sign illuminated on board an aircraft. Never mind that flight attendants have begun their pre-flight safety demonstration, or that a video has begun to play informing you of the procedures in case of an emergency. No one was seriously injured on the flight, which returned to Portland, Oregon. Both near-catastrophes underscore the importance of travelers paying attention to flight attendant safety information and instructions — before and during an accident. Everyone from passengers to onlookers to aviation executives have commended the crews of those Japan Airlines and Alaska Airlines flights for shepherding passengers through safely.

Persons: you've, Sara Nelson Organizations: Association of Flight, CWA, Japan Airlines Airbus, Alaska Airlines Boeing, Max, Japan Airlines, Alaska Airlines Locations: United , Alaska, Frontier, Portland , Oregon

☆ Remains of Crew From U.S. Military Aircraft Found in Japanese Waters
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-04 | by ( Alastair Gale | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The Japanese coast guard was used in the search for the Osprey. Photo: Kyodonews/Zuma PressTOKYO—Searchers have found the sunken main fuselage of a U.S. military aircraft that crashed off the coast of southern Japan last week as well as the remains of five of the seven missing crew, the Air Force said Monday. Two of the five have been recovered, and teams from the U.S. and Japan are working on retrieving the others, the Air Force said.

Organizations: Zuma Press, Air Force Locations: U.S, Japan

Search operations widened Friday with additional U.S. military personnel joining the effort, while Japanese coast guard and military ships focused on an undersea search using sonar. Japanese officials say they asked the U.S. military to halt Osprey flights in Japan except for those involved in the search operations. A total of 44 Ospreys have been deployed at U.S. and Japanese military bases in Japan. Denny Tamaki called on Japan’s defense and foreign ministries to request the U.S. military to suspend all Osprey flights in Japan, including in search operations. “I have serious doubts about Osprey safety even for their search and rescue operations.”

Persons: —, Sabrina Singh, Hirokazu Matsuno, Minoru Kihara, Ricky Rupp, ” Kihara, Rupp, Yoko Kamikawa, Japan Rahm Emanuel, United States “, Denny Tamaki, Tamaki, “, ” Organizations: TOKYO, Pentagon, U.S, Ospreys, U.S ., Defense, U.S . Forces Japan, Osprey, United, U.S . Air Force Special, Command, Yokota Air Base, Fifth Air Force, 353rd, Operations, U.S . Marine Corps Air, Iwakuni, Kadena Air Base, Gov Locations: Japan, U.S, Okinawa, United States, Yamaguchi prefecture

☆ Remains of one airman aboard Osprey that crashed in Japan recovered, Air Force says
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( Haley Britzky | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Washington CNN —The remains of one airman who was aboard the Air Force CV-22B Osprey that crashed off the coast of Yakushima Island, Japan, on Wednesday have been recovered, the Air Force said Friday. “Seven Airmen are in DUSTWUN status meaning ‘duty status-whereabouts unknown,’” a release on Friday from Air Force Special Operations Command said. All V22 Ospreys in Japan operate only after undergoing thorough maintenance and safety checks,” Singh said. The CV-22 Osprey was conducting a “routine training mission” at the time of the “mishap” on Wednesday, the Air Force has said previously. The Osprey has a history of mechanical and operational issues, and has been involved in several fatal incidents over the last 30 years.

Persons: “, ’, Sabrina Singh, ” Singh, Singh, ” Organizations: Washington CNN, Air Force, Air Force Special, Command, Pentagon, Ospreys, Air, ”, Japanese Coast Guard, Japanese Self - Defense Forces, Pacific Air Forces, US Pacific Fleet, US Marine Corps Forces, Pacific, Special Operations Command Pacific, 1st Special Forces Group Locations: Yakushima Island, Japan, Yakushima, United States

☆ Japan Asks U.S. Military to Suspend Osprey Flights After Fatal Crash
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-30 | by ( Alastair Gale | Chieko Tsuneoka | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Search and rescue efforts were ongoing after a U.S. military aircraft crashed off the coast of southern Japan, the Japanese coast guard said. Photo: Japan Coast Guard/ReutersTOKYO—Japan asked the U.S. military to suspend flights by its Osprey aircraft after a fatal crash a day earlier rekindled local concerns about the safety of the tilt-rotor plane. Japan’s coast guard, police and military continued search-and-rescue operations around the crash site Thursday for seven people who were in the Air Force’s CV-22 aircraft when it plunged into the sea near the southern island of Yakushima.

Organizations: Japan Coast Guard, Reuters, Reuters TOKYO —, Osprey Locations: Japan, Reuters TOKYO, Reuters TOKYO — Japan, Yakushima

☆ U.S. Military Aircraft Crashes in Japanese Waters With Six Aboard
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( Alastair Gale | Chieko Tsuneoka | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

A Japanese coast guard ship searches around waters off the island of Yakushima, near where a U.S. military Osprey aircraft crashed. Photo: Kyodonews/Zuma PressTOKYO—A U.S. military Osprey aircraft with six people on board crashed into the sea off southern Japan on Wednesday, the Japanese coast guard said. It said one of the six was confirmed dead, and ships and aircraft were searching for the others. Initially, the coast guard said eight people were aboard the Osprey.

Organizations: Zuma Press Locations: Yakushima, U.S, Japan

TOKYO (AP) — A U.S. military Osprey aircraft carrying eight people crashed Wednesday into the sea off southern Japan, and the Japanese coast guard is heading to the site for search and rescue operations, officials said. Details about what happened to the Osprey and to the people on board were not immediately known, coast guard spokesperson Kazuo Ogawa said. The coast guard received an emergency call from a fishing boat near the crash site off Yakushima, an island south of Kagoshima on the southern main island of Kyushu, he said. Political Cartoons View All 1270 ImagesA U.S. Marine Corps Osprey aircraft with 23 Marines aboard crashed on a north Australian island in August, killing at least three and critically injuring at least five during a multinational training exercise. There have been at least five fatal crashes of Marine Ospreys since 2012, causing a total of at least 19 deaths.

Persons: Kazuo Ogawa Organizations: TOKYO, —, Osprey, U.S . Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, . Marine Corps, Marines, Marine Ospreys Locations: U.S, Japan, Kagoshima, Kyushu, Iwakuni, Okinawa

☆ A US Air Force Osprey crashed near Japan with 6 on board, the latest in a string of fatal accidents
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

At least one person was killed when a US Osprey aircraft crashed near Japan. AdvertisementAt least one person has died after a US Osprey aircraft crashed off the coast of Japan on Wednesday, the latest in a string of fatal military accidents. In 2022, five US Marines were killed when an Osprey crashed during training exercises near Glamis, California. In 2022, four US Marines were killed when an Osprey crashed during NATO training exercises in Norway. In 2017, three US Marines were killed when an Osprey crashed attempting to land on a transport ship off Australia's northern coast.

Persons: — Organizations: US Osprey, Service, Osprey, Reuters, CNN, US, US Marines, NATO, The Quincy Institute Locations: Japan, Yakushima, Kagoshima, Australia, Glamis , California, Norway, US

A U.S. military aircraft crashed near a small island off the coast of southern Japan on Wednesday with six people onboard. Japan’s Coast Guard said that at least one of those onboard had been confirmed dead. The aircraft, a CV-22 Osprey operated by the U.S. Air Force, crashed close to 3 p.m. near Yakushima, according to a spokesman for the Japanese Coast Guard, which is conducting a rescue operation. It was initially thought that eight people were aboard the craft. The crash came just three months after three U.S. Marines died in another Osprey accident during a training exercise in Australia.

Persons: Hiroyuki Miyazawa, Hiroki Shimano Organizations: U.S, Japan’s Coast Guard, U.S . Air Force, Japanese Coast Guard, Marines, Osprey Locations: Japan, Yakushima, Australia, Kagoshima

TOKYO (AP) — Japan plans to suspend its own Osprey flights after a U.S. Air Force Osprey based in Japan crashed into waters off the southern coast during a training mission, officials said Thursday. A U.S. Air Force Osprey based in Japan crashed during a training mission Wednesday off of the country’s southern coast, killing at least one of the eight crew members. The cause of the crash and the status of the seven others on board were not immediately known, Japanese coast guard spokesperson Kazuo Ogawa said. Coast guard aircraft and patrol boats found one male crew member, who was later pronounced dead by a doctor, Ogawa said. While the U.S. Marine Corps flies most of the Ospreys based in Japan, the Air Force also has some deployed there.

Persons: Taro Yamato, Kazuo Ogawa, Denny Tamaki, Ogawa, Hirokazu Matsuno, Hiroyuki Miyazawa, ___ Copp Organizations: TOKYO, U.S . Air Force, Ospreys, Defense Ministry, Gov, NHK, U.S . Air Force Special, Command, Yokota Air Base, 353rd, Operations, U.S . Marine Corps Air, Iwakuni, Kadena Air Base, Japanese, Defense, U.S . Forces Japan, Fifth Air Force, Yokota, U.S . Marine Corps, Air Force, Air Force Special Operations Command, Osprey, Marine Corps, Navy, Marine Corps Osprey, U.S . Marine, Marines Locations: Japan, Tokyo, U.S, Okinawa, Kagoshima, Kyushu, Coast, Yakushima, Yamaguchi prefecture, Australian, Washington

Souring relations between Asian rivals Japan and China now seem to be snagged on calm-inducing beauty in spas, museums and gardens. In recent years, koi have become hugely popular in Asia, with Japan's koi exports doubling over the past decade to 6.3 billion yen ($43 million) — one-fifth of them shipped to China, the top Japanese koi importer, followed by the United States and Indonesia. Fisheries Agency official Satoru Abe, in charge of koi quarantine, said China has not provided any explanation as to why it hasn't taken the necessary steps to continue koi shipments. IS THIS RELATED TO FUKUSHIMA DAIICHI'S TREATED WASTEWATER RELEASE? Abe, the koi quarantine official, said Fukushima’s wastewater release is unlikely to be the cause of the koi export stoppage, noting that China allowed Japanese koi in for two months after the water discharge began.

Persons: Satoru Abe, Abe, Ichiro Miyashita, “, Hirokazu Matsuno Organizations: TOKYO, CHINA, Japan . Fisheries Agency, International Atomic Energy Agency, Forestry, Fisheries Locations: Japan, China, Asia, United States, Indonesia, Beijing, Tokyo, JAPAN, CHINA, East China

☆ Japan PM Kishida: cooperating with Philippines, US to protect South China Sea
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-04 | by ( Karen Lema | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"In the South China Sea, trilateral cooperation to protect the freedom of the sea is under way," Kishida, on an official visit, said in an address before the Philippine congress in the capital Manila. Last month China and the Philippines traded accusations over a collision in the disputed waters of the South China Sea as Chinese vessels blocked Philippine boats supplying forces there. China claims sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea, including parts of the exclusive economic zones of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam. Japan does not have any claim to the South China Sea, but has a maritime dispute with China in the East China Sea. "Japan will continue to contribute to the enhancement of the Philippines' security capabilities, thereby contributing to regional peace and stability," Kishida said.

Persons: Fumio, Aaron Favila, Fumio Kishida, Ferdinand Marcos Jr, China's, Kishida, Karen Lema, Sakura Murakami, William Mallard, Michael Perry Organizations: Japan, REUTERS Acquire, Rights, Official Security, Kyodo, Philippine Coast Guard, Thomson Locations: Quezon City, Philippines, Rights MANILA, United States, South China, China, Philippine, Manila, Kishida, Japan, Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, East, Tokyo

☆ China, Japan coast guards face off again near disputed islands
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

BEIJING/TOKYO, Nov 1 (Reuters) - Chinese and Japanese coast guard ships faced off in waters around disputed islands in the East China Sea again on Wednesday, with both countries saying they deployed patrol ships to urge the other side to leave the territory. The disputed islands, called Diaoyu in China and Senkaku in Japan, are claimed by both countries. The Chinese coast guard said three Japanese ships and several patrol ships illegally entered its territorial waters on Wednesday and that it took necessary control measures in accordance with the law. Japan's coast guard said its patrol boats in turn repeatedly urged three Chinese coast guard vessels to leave the waters. Reporting by Beijing newsroom, Mariko Katsumura in Tokyo; Editing by Jacqueline Wong and Chang-Ran KimOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Mariko Katsumura, Jacqueline Wong, Chang, Ran Kim Organizations: East China, Beijing, Thomson Locations: BEIJING, TOKYO, East, China, Senkaku, Japan, Japan's, Tokyo

☆ North Korea fires two ballistic missile with leader Kim away in Russia
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-13 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

A man watches a television news screen showing a picture of North Korea's recent test-firing of a Hwasong-17 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), at a railway station in Seoul on March 17, 2023. North Korea fired two ballistic missiles off its east coast, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Japanese Coast Guard said on Wednesday, just hours before leader Kim Jong Un was expected to meet President Vladimir Putin in Russia. It was the first such launch to occur while Kim was abroad for a rare trip, analysts said. But about five minutes after the first launch warning, Japan's Coast Guard reported the missile had fallen into the sea. Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno told reporters that Japan had lodged a protest against North Korea through diplomatic channels in Beijing.

Persons: Kim Jong Un, Vladimir Putin, Kim, Hirokazu Matsuno Organizations: South Korea's, Chiefs, Staff, Japanese Coast Guard, Japan's Coast Guard, North Locations: Seoul, North Korea, South, Russia, Japan, Beijing

☆ North Korea fires two ballistic missiles with leader Kim away in Russia
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SEOUL, Sept 13 (Reuters) - North Korea fired two ballistic missiles off its east coast, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Japanese Coast Guard said on Wednesday, just hours before leader Kim Jong Un was expected to meet President Vladimir Putin in Russia. It was the first such launch to occur while Kim was abroad for a rare trip, analysts said. Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno told reporters that Japan had lodged a protest against North Korea through diplomatic channels in Beijing. The nuclear-armed North has conducted regular launches of everything from short-range and cruise missiles to massive intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) that can strike the continental United States. In 2018 and 2019 he visited China, South Korea, Singapore, Vietnam and Russia in nine separate trips, but his current visit in Russia is the first since then.

Persons: Kim Jong Un, Vladimir Putin, Kim, Hirokazu Matsuno, Kim didn’t, Soo, hyang Choi, Josh Smith, Komiya, Chang, Ran Kim, Tom Hogue, Christian Schmollinger, Gerry Doyle Organizations: South Korea's, Chiefs, Staff, Japanese Coast Guard, Japan's Coast Guard, North, United Nations, Thomson Locations: SEOUL, North Korea, South, Russia, Japan, Beijing, United States, China, Moscow, South Korea, Singapore, Vietnam, Seoul, Tokyo

☆ North Korea fails to launch spy satellite for a second time
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-24 | by ( Jennifer Jett | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

North Korea tried and failed for a second time to launch a spy satellite, state media said, vowing to make a third attempt in October. It said the launch failed "due to an error in the emergency blasting system during the third-stage flight." The North Korean space agency said there would be a third launch attempt in October after it assessed why the Thursday launch failed. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un had vowed a second launch attempt after the first one on May 31 ended with the rocket carrying the spy satellite crashing into the sea shortly after liftoff. Top North Korean officials later called the failed launch this year's "most serious" shortcoming in the country's efforts to advance its weapons programs, according to KCNA.

Persons: Pyongyang's, Biden, Adrienne Watson, Kim Jong Un Organizations: Korean Central News Agency, United, National Security, Japanese Coast Guard, North, South Korean Locations: North Korea, Korean, South Korea, Japan, United States, Korea

CNN —North Korea’s second attempt to launch a spy satellite into orbit failed Thursday due to a malfunction in the third-stage of the rocket, the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported. The unsuccessful launch came after North Korea’s first attempt failed in May, when the new satellite vehicle rocket Chollima-1 crashed into the sea soon after liftoff. In a news conference Thursday, Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said Japan “strongly protests” North Korea’s latest launch and “condemns it in the strongest terms,” adding that the launch used ballistic missile technology. During the summit, the three leaders pledged closer cooperation to protect against nuclear threats from North Korea and urged Pyongyang to abandon its nuclear and ballistic missile programs. North Korea is expected to celebrate its 75th foundation day on September 9 with a military parade.

Persons: North Korea’s, KCNA, Defense Kimi Onoda, Hirokazu Matsuno, Japan “, “, Matsuno, ”, Yoon Suk Yeol, Adrienne Watson, Joe Biden, Camp David, Kim Jong Un Organizations: CNN, Korean Central News Agency, North, Defense, South Korean, Japanese Coast Guard, Japan’s, United Nations Security, Korea’s National Security Council, UN, NSC, US, US National Security Council, DPRK Locations: Pyongyang, East China, Japan, Okinawa, North Korea, South Korea, United States, Korea, North, Camp

☆ North Korea says Camp David agreements raise possibility of 'thermonuclear war'
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-21 | by ( Soo-Hyang Choi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] A South Korean Air Force F-35A fighter jet takes off during an air drill as part of the annual Ulchi Freedom Shield joint military exercise between South Korea and U.S., in South Korea, August 21, 2023. The Defense Ministry/Handout via REUTERS Acquire Licensing RightsSEOUL, Aug 22 (Reuters) - North Korea on Tuesday denounced the annual military drills between the United States and South Korea, warning of a "thermonuclear war" over recent trilateral agreements to deepen ties between the leaders of the U.S., South Korea and Japan at Camp David. South Korea and the United States began the Ulchi Freedom Shield summer exercises on Monday, designed to enhance their joint responses to North Korea's nuclear and missile threats. In a commentary carried by the KCNA news agency, North Korea said the summit between the United States, South Korea and Japan at the Camp David presidential retreat on Friday was aimed at formulating a "nuclear war provocation." "If the agreements fabricated at the Camp David Resort are additionally put into practice in the war drill ... the possibility of outbreak of a thermonuclear war on the Korean peninsula will become more realistic," the commentary said.

Persons: Camp David, Soo, hyang Choi, Matthew Lewis Organizations: Korean Air Force, The Defense Ministry, REUTERS Acquire, Rights, United States, Camp, Japanese Coast Guard, South, Thomson Locations: South Korea, U.S, Rights SEOUL, North Korea, United States, Japan, Camp David, Pyongyang, Korea, East China, Seoul

☆ North Korea to launch satellite over Yellow Sea -Japan Coast Guard
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

TOKYO, Aug 22 (Reuters) - North Korea has said it will launch a satellite between Aug. 24-31 in the direction of the Yellow Sea and East China Sea, the Japanese Coast Guard said on Tuesday. The Coast Guard added that the satellite, if launched, was likely to fall outside of Japan's exclusive economic zone. North Korea launched a satellite on May 31 that ended up plunging into the sea. The new "Chollima-1" satellite launch rocket failed because of instability in the engine and fuel system, state news agency KCNA reported. It prompted emergency alerts and brief evacuation warnings in parts of South Korea and Japan but no danger or damage was reported.

Persons: Fumio, KCNA, Elaine Lies, Deepa Babington, Stephen Coates Organizations: Japanese Coast Guard, Twitter, Coast Guard, North, Thomson Locations: TOKYO, North Korea, East China, Japan, South Korea, United States

CNN —Visitors to a beach resort city in southwest Japan got a shock on Tuesday when they woke to discover the usually crystal-clear sea had turned an ominous shade of red – after a local brewery sprung a leak. We believe the leaked cooling water flowed into a river through a rain gutter, causing the sea to turn red,” Orion Breweries said. The red seawater is thought to have been caused by a coolant leak at the brewery. News of the red seawater amused some social media users but left others questioning if the water was safe. One Twitter user said crowds of people had gathered to look at the red sea.

Persons: “, ” Organizations: CNN, Visitors, Food, Orion Breweries, Japanese Coast Guard, Regional Coast Guard, US Food and Drug Administration Locations: Japan, Nago, Okinawa

☆ Japan threatens to destory any North Korean
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-29 | by ( Emiko Jozuka | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

North Korea’s space development agency had said last year it would finish preparations for the reconnaissance satellite by April 2023. Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno also said Monday that any North Korean missile launch disguised as a “satellite” is a “threat” to the nation’s security. Matsuno said Japan’s Defense Ministry and Self-Defense Forces have issued an order regarding the preparation of destructive measures against ballistic missiles. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un inspects preparations for North Korea's first military spy satellite on Tuesday, state news agency KCNA reported on Wednesday local time. Last month, Kim ordered officials to prepare to launch the country’s first military reconnaissance satellite, North Korean state media reported at the time.

☆ Japan puts missile defense on alert as North Korea warns of satellite launch
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-29 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Japan on Monday put its ballistic missile defenses on alert and warned that it would shoot down any projectile that threatened its territory after North Korea notified it of a satellite launch between May 31 and June 11. Nuclear-armed North Korea says it has completed its first military spy satellite and leader Kim Jong Un has approved final preparations for the launch. "The government recognizes that there is a possibility that the satellite may pass through our country's territory," Japan's chief cabinet secretary, Hirokazu Matsuno, told a regular briefing after North Korea informed the Japanese coast guard of the planned launch. The order by the Japanese defense ministry, the first in response to a North Korean space launch since 2016, comes after Japan in April dispatched to the East China Sea a destroyer carrying Standard Missile-3 interceptors that can hit targets in space, and sent ground-based PAC-3 missiles, designed to strike warheads closer to the ground, to the Okinawan islands. Japan expects North Korea to fire the rocket carrying its satellite over the southwest island chain as it did in 2016, a defense ministry spokesperson said.

SEOUL/TOKYO, May 29 (Reuters) - North Korea has notified Japan of a plan to launch a satellite between May 31 and June 11, a Japanese coast guard official said on Monday. North Korea informed the Japanese coast guard of the planned launch, the coast guard official told Reuters, confirming earlier reports by public broadcaster NHK and other Japanese media. The Japanese prime minister's office urged North Korea to refrain from the launch and said it would work closely with allies. "We strongly urge North Korea to refrain from launching," the prime minister's office said on Twitter, adding it would cooperate "with relevant countries such as the U.S. and South Korea". North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in May inspected a military satellite facility, North Korean state media KCNA reported.

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