BATTEN DOWN

Japan: We Will Shoot Down North Korean Missiles

After rocket lands in Japanese waters.

Japan on Monday ordered its military to prepare to strike down North Korean missiles that enter its territory as part of a three-month state of alert. Last Wednesday, officials in Tokyo said a device from the Hermit Kingdom had landed in its waters—part of an escalating series of launches aimed toward Japan and South Korea from Kim Jong Un’s belligerent regime. Japanese forces are now at the ready to shoot down any missile that threatens to hit the nation, a defense ministry representative said. North Korea has stepped up its fusillade in response to stricter economic sanctions imposed by the U.S., China, and the UN Security Council.