Japan Issues Order to 'Destroy' N. Korea Rocket

TOKYO Japan's defense minister ordered the military to prepare to shoot down any debris that could fall on Japanese territory if a North Korean rocket launch fails, mobilizing interceptor missiles and sending two warships to the Sea of Japan.North Korea has said it will launch a communications satellite April 4-8, and has warned that fragments from the launch could fall into waters off Akita and Iwate prefectures (states) in northern Japan. In response, Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada told reporters he ordered the deployment of land-to-air and sea-to-air missile interceptors to the area at risk."We issued a destruction order," Hamada told reporters at parliament. "We will make sure to eliminate anything that may cause us any damage."North Korea has mounted a rocket on a launch pad on its northeast coast, American intelligence officials say, putting Pyongyang well on track for a launch the U.S. and South Korea warned Thursday would be a major provocation with serious consequences.