The Ministry of Defense announced on the 27th that it may have conducted tests on military reconnaissance satellites for ballistic missiles launched by North Korea, and it is sufficient to repeat similar launches in the name of reconnaissance satellite development in the future. It is supposed to be considered.
On the 27th, the Ministry of Defense announced the analysis results so far on the 28th about the ballistic missile launched by North Korea.
According to it, North Korea will launch a ballistic missile eastward from the vicinity of the west coast of North Korea at around 7:51 am on the 27th, with a maximum altitude of about 600 km, and let's fly a distance of about 300 km. It is estimated that it fell outside Japan's EEZ = Exclusive Economic Zone near the east coast of North Korea.
It was a "lofted orbit" that was launched at a higher altitude than usual.
The Ministry of Defense then analyzed that it may have conducted tests on military reconnaissance satellites, given North Korea's announcement and mention of the design of military reconnaissance satellites at the Workers' Party of Korea's party convention last January. increase.
According to the Ministry of Defense, this is the first time that North Korea has announced that it has conducted reconnaissance satellite tests since January last year, and it is quite possible that similar launches will be repeated in the name of reconnaissance satellite development in the future. increase.
The Ministry of Defense will continue to work closely with the United States and other countries to collect and analyze necessary information on North Korea's military trends, and will make every effort to ensure Japan's peace and security.
Director of Defense Policy Bureau "Details are being analyzed"
At the Budget Committee of the House of Representatives, the Ministry of Defense's Defense Policy Bureau Director Masuda said, "North Korea mentioned the design of military reconnaissance satellites at the party convention in January last year, and yesterday's launch may have conducted some tests on reconnaissance satellites. I think there are some, but more details are under analysis. "
He added, "North Korea has been launching in new ways with high frequency, especially since it entered this year, and a series of North Korean actions threaten the peace and security of our region and the international community. The launch in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine is absolutely unacceptable. "