Japan deploys interceptors amid N. Korea missile tests fears

PanARMENIAN.Net - Japan has deployed missile interceptors in key locations around Tokyo as a precaution against possible North Korean ballistic missile tests, AP reported.

The Patriot missiles, called PAC-3s, were deployed Tuesday, April 9 at Japan's defense ministry headquarters and were also to be deployed at bases farther away from central Tokyo.

Japan has taken similar measures before previous North Korean launches. It has never actually tried to shoot down a North Korean missile and was not expected to try to do so unless there was a clear threat to Japanese territory.

North Korea is believed to have moved ballistic missiles to its east coast, possibly in preparation for a test launch. That has further raised tensions on the Korean Peninsula amid threats by North Korea and large-scale war games involving U.S. and South Korean troops.