North Korea's rocket passes over Japan without incident

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Japanese media say a North Korean rocket has passed over Japan toward the Pacific without incident. Japan's public broadcaster NHK quoted government officials as saying there were no reports of any debris falling on Japan when the rocket passed over its territory early Sunday. Prime Minister Taro Aso told reporters at his office that his government was monitoring the launch. Japan had threatened to shoot down any debris from the rocket if the launch went wrong. It had positioned batteries of interceptor missiles on its coast and radar-equipped ships off its northern seas. NHK reported that the rocket flew above Japanese airspace. It said some debris had been reported falling in the Sea of Japan, and some more in the Pacific.