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Announced by Government of Japan, and press story out within the last hour. Link to Japanese HERE.This is probably pretty standard, more or less expected, and of course prudent. Japan National Security Council told to be ready from tomorrow morning for the provocation and to stay ready in Tokyo.Prime Minister Aso gave the word to Chief Cabinet Secretariat Kawamura on returning from UK/G-20 earlier today. Stated to the Prefectures of Akita and Iwate--in Northern Japan--to be particularly alert but calm and ready for anything. Final quote was "chances of missile coming down toward Japanese soil are small, but if it...

/begin my translation President Lee: "N. Korea to Launch Rocket as Early as Apr. 4" (London Reuters = Yonhap new) (S. Korean) President Lee Myung-bak said on Apr. 3 that N. Korea is almost certain to launch its rocket, and it could come as early as Apr. 4 if weather permits. /end my translation

Obama issues warning as North Korea readies rocket By PAULINE JELINEK, Associated Press Writer Fri Apr 3, 12:56 am ET WASHINGTON – As North Korea fueled a multistage rocket Thursday for its threatened satellite launch, President Barack Obama promised a "stern" response and Japan vowed to press for an emergency session of the U.N. Security Council. Senior U.S. defense officials said that trailers and vehicles carrying rocket propellant were in place at North Korea's coastal launch site and that fueling had begun. A U.S. counter-proliferation official said the fueling process could take "up to a few days." But a senior...

A Japanese rebroadcast tonight of North Korea TV. HERE is a link to Japanese site from Japanese TV which has short streaming video.Go there first, then hit the arrow in the little orange box, just below the screen shot photo of the rabid North Korean TV female announcer spitting forth the threat.

(U.S.) Conservatives Attack Obama over N.Korea American conservatives are closing ranks to attack President Barack Obama over its handling of North Korea's impending rocket launch. A video clip on the website of the conservative Heritage Foundation warns it will take just 33 minutes for a North Korean or Iranian long-range missile to reach the continental United States. The clip, titled "33 Minutes," features a statement by Heritage Foundation President Edwin Feulne attacking the Obama administration for failing to protect its people from "the enemy." Rep. Darrell Issa, a ranking member of the U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform,...

North Korea has begun fueling a long-range missile it plans to launch soon, a senior U.S. military official said Wednesday. CNN reported North Korea could be in the final stages of its preparations to launch a satellite into space as early as this weekend. The news network reported that other officials said the top portion of the rocket was put on very recently. Satellite imagery shows a shroud over the launch stage, preventing direct views of what the missile looks like.

North Korea already has the capacity to launch a nuclear missile strike against Seoul and Tokyo, even before the long-range rocket test that it is promising in the next few days, an international think-tank has reported.

As expected (and they do tend to shoot off their mouths a lot with threats and big talk), North Korea delivered "the threat" tonight in an official statement out of their Korean Central News Agency (link to the original Japanese language report). North Korea is threatening Japan with military action if Japan takes down their Taepodong-2 (which they refer to as a "satellite") from the skies this week.Conservative Japanese daily Sankei (online) reports from Japan (in Japanese) a little while ago:HERE If above link does not work.

Expert: NKorea has several nuclear warheads By HYUNG-JIN KIM /snip Pinkston said the communist nation has two underground nuclear warhead storage facilities near bases for its medium-range Rodong missiles, which are capable of striking Japan. He said he obtained the information from intelligence officials from a country or countries that he wouldn't identify. "Their assessment is that North Korea has deployed" and assembled "nuclear warheads for Rodong missiles, and there are two nuclear warhead storage facilities near Rodong bases," Pinkston told The Associated Press. He said it is unclear if Pyongyang has mastered technology to miniaturize the warheads and put...

N.Korea Offers Obama His 1st International Test "It will not be six months before the world tests Barack Obama like they did John Kennedy." This is the prediction of U.S. Vice President Joseph Biden when he was a candidate last October. The supposition by Biden, whom some consider one of the top diplomatic and national security experts in the Senate, is turning into a very accurate prediction due to the North Korean missile crisis. Perhaps nobody knew it would be North Korea that would be the first to put Obama to the test. The prevailing view is that North Korea...

Appearing on Fox News on Sunday, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said the United States "was not prepared to do anything about" North Korea's rocket launch, which is expected to take place in the coming days. Gates' latest comments differ from what he said on Feb. 10, that the U.S. could intercept North Korea's missile "if necessary." On Mar. 19, Admiral Timothy Keating, commander of U.S. forces in the Pacific, said the U.S. is "fully prepared" to shoot down the missile and added that the U.S. military has the capability to do it. Judging from the situation so far, the...

From earlier today, our time:And, if you keep your eyes peeled, you may spot one of a number of Japan Self Defense manned PAC-3 Patriot missile batteries out in the open in downtown Tokyo these days.

This isn't the kind of change our leader promised. They were supposed to like us and behave themselves after he "reached out" to them..