Tokyo: Japan said Wednesday it would destroy a North Korean missile if it threatened to fall on its territory, after Pyongyang announced it planned to launch a space rocket this month.

‘Today the defence minister issued an order’ to destroy such a missile if it ‘is confirmed that it will fall on Japanese territory,’ the defence ministry said in a statement.

Defence Minister Gen Nakatani issued the order, citing the ‘possibility that North Korea will launch a missile it calls a ‘satellite’ within coming days,’ the statement said.

The order will be carried out by Japan’s ballistic missile defence system, which includes PAC-3 surface-to-air anti-ballistic missiles, and similar SM-3 systems aboard warships, the ministry said.

The order will be effective until 25 February, it added, the end of the launch window announced by Pyongyang that begins on 8 February.