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The Japanese government has announced that North Korea has informed them of its plans to launch a satellite in the coming days. This announcement comes less than three months after a failed attempt that saw a military satellite plummet into the sea.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s office stated that they have been informed by Pyongyang about the upcoming launch. In response, the Prime Minister has instructed his government to work with the United States, South Korea, and other nations to urge North Korea to cancel the launch.

The Japan Coast Guard has provided details about the planned satellite launch. It is scheduled to take place between August 24 and 31, with three designated danger areas: the Yellow Sea, East China Sea, and waters east of the Philippines’ Luzon island.

In May, North Korea launched what it claimed to be its first military reconnaissance satellite. However, the rocket carrying it failed and plunged into the sea shortly after takeoff. North Korea said that the satellite was developed as a counterbalance to the increasing US military presence in the region.

In response to the launch announcement, North Korea’s state news agency condemned the US-South Korea military drills that began on Monday. The agency warned that if the drills involve a “nuclear provocation,” the possibility of a thermonuclear war on the Korean Peninsula would become more realistic.

The previous satellite launch in May was condemned by the United States, South Korea, and Japan as a violation of United Nations resolutions. These resolutions prohibit North Korea, a nuclear-armed state, from using ballistic missile technology.

Analysts have highlighted the technological overlap between the development of intercontinental ballistic missiles and space launch capabilities. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has made the development of a military spy satellite one of his top priorities.

South Korea’s spy agency has also indicated that Pyongyang could launch a reconnaissance satellite in late August or early September. This launch is intended to coincide with the 75th anniversary of the regime’s founding on September 9.

While the previous satellite crash sparked a complex salvage operation, experts in South Korea and the United States have determined that the satellite had no military utility.

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