Japan continues efforts to stop DPRK rocket launch

TOKYO - Japan is making efforts to try to stop the rocket launch by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), a senior official said on Wednesday.

"We will cooperate with partner countries to call on (DPRK) to forgo any action that will damage peace and stability in the region, and keep urging them until the last minute to stop the launch," Chief Cabinet Secretary Osamu Fujimura told a news conference, adding that the Prime Minister's office will launch task force.

The existing office under the prime minister's crisis management center was reorganized from early Wednesday afternoon to enhance its information-gathering capabilities, said Fujimura.

Meanwhile, Japanese Foreign Minister Koichiro Gemba also expressed his concern on the issue in Washington.

"The launch will be an obstacle to restart talks between Japan and DPRK," Gemba said at a joint press conference with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton after their meeting on Tuesday.

Gemba and Clinton held talks in Washington prior to an annual meeting of the G8 foreign ministers. "We will cooperate with related countries closely and will spare no effort to stop DPRK's launch until the last moment," said Gemba.

On Tuesday night in Tokyo, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda held bilateral meeting with his visiting British counterpart David Cameron. They raised concerns over the planned satellite launch by the DPRK and urged Pyongyang to exert restraint.

Earlier, Japanese Defense Ministry confirmed on Monday that Japan had completed deployment of interceptor missiles ahead of the planned satellite launch by the DPRK.

Japan's Self-Defense Force had installed Patriot Advanced Capability-3 interceptors on Okinawa, Ishigaki and Miyako islands and in Tokyo, ministry official Takaaki Oono told Xinhua. Furthermore, three Maritime Self-Defense Force Aegis destroyers are on their way to the East China Sea, according to the ministry.

The satellite launch plan announced by DPRK on March 16 has raised strong fear and unease in Japan. The Japanese government has been saying the rocket will "not normally fall within" Japan's territory, but preparations are being made just in case the rocket veers off from its planned trajectory.

The DPRK government invited a group of journalists to visit the General Satellite Control and Command Center, located some 20 km northwest of Pyongyang Wednesday morning.

Paek Chunghou, general director of the facility, said workers had placed the satellite on the rocket and fuel is being injected into the rocket. DPRK insist that the launch of a satellite will not do harm to the region and neighboring countries.