The Liberal Democratic Party drafts a public reaction plan to protect citizens at home and abroad from North Korean missile launches.
The Liberal Democratic Party gave Prime Minister Shinzo Abe a proposal Thursday to change the way the government protects Japanese both at home and in South Korea — in the event of ballistic missile launches by North Korea, which fired several suspected surface-to-ship cruise missiles the same day.
The LDP plan calls on the government to work more closely with airlines and shipping companies to plan for a potential evacuation for those living in or visiting South Korea.
It also calls for shelters to be built in Japan, and to carry out evacuation drills making use of underground facilities in densely populated areas.
Under the plan, the government would set up a televised public campaign on what to do in the event of a missile launch that could threaten Japanese territory.
Abe, who is also the ruling party’s president, said the government will handle the proposal “thoroughly.”
“With (North Korea) continuing to ignore warnings from the international community and fire (missiles) , we want to do all we can to protect the lives of the public, ” Abe said.
Earlier Thursday, North Korea fired missiles off its eastern coast into the Sea of Japan. Tokyo did not protest this move, saying it had no immediate impact on national security, but reiterated its condemnation of Pyongyang’s repeated ballistic missile tests, the most recent of which occurred May 29.
Last month, the government revised its messages to be issued through a satellite-based J-Alert public warning system if the North launches a missile that could hit Japan.
Previously, the message only states that a missile launch has been detected, but now warns people in at-risk areas to take shelter in sound buildings or underground.
Officials said the change reflects estimates that North Korean missiles launched at Japan would take only a few minutes to reach their targets.
The missiles on Thursday fell in an area far from Japan’s exclusive economic zone, a senior government official told reporters.
The projectiles are believed to be short-range land-to-ship missiles.
The government did not hold an emergency meeting of key officials at the prime minister’s office Thursday morning, since it saw no immediate threat from the missiles, sources said.
