Japan says it has deployed two Patriot missile interceptors in Tokyo to counter North Korea’s activity. The deployment comes amid reports that Pyongyang is preparing for a space rocket launch.

Two ground-to-air Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) launchers were installed near the Defense Ministry’s headquarters on Saturday morning, according to the Japan News website. The Ministry said they had been set up as a safeguard in case it became necessary to shoot down a North Korean missile or any debris that might fall from one onto Japanese territory.

The ground-to-air units are to be placed mainly in the Okinawa Prefecture and Tokyo metropolitan area, as there are fears that these are the two locations North Korean missiles might hit.

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Earlier this week, Japan’s Defense Minister, General Nakatani, announced that he had issued a “destructive measures order,” which authorizes the country’s armed forces to destroy long-range ballistic missiles if they pose any danger to Japan. The announcement was made at a press conference in Tokyo on Friday.



Japan’s Air Self-Defense Force is not the only Japanese military branch boosting its capabilities. The country’s Marine Self-Defense Force is also increasing its preparedness by deploying Aegis-equipped destroyers in the Sea of Japan and other areas, the Japan News reported.



“We cannot rule out the possibility [North Korea] will do something provocative without prior warning, such as launching a ballistic missile. The government’s readiness will be rock-solid to protect the people’s lives,” Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told a press conference.

North Korea has been under close scrutiny by the international community since Pyongyang claimed that on January 6 it successfully detonated a hydrogen bomb in its fourth nuclear test.

PAC3 missiles have been deployed again at the SDF HQ in Ichigaya. pic.twitter.com/MyCSVJl3Do — Mulboyne (@Mulboyne) January 30, 2016

Concerns that North Korea may be preparing to launch a missile surfaced in media reports citing Japanese and US officials on Friday. US sources told the Kyodo news agency that satellite imagery indicates an imminent space launch.