To intercept an off course DPRK rocket-that-is-actually-a-long-range-ballistic-missile™ (roketto jijitsujo no chokyori dando misairu) or the an off-course jettisoned first stage of said rocket-that-is-actually-a-long-range-ballistic-missile™:
Patriot PAC-3 Missile Batteries
Protecting the Capital Area = 3
1) Ichigaya, Tokyo Metropolitan District
Grounds of the Ministry of Defense
2) Asaka City, Saitama Prefecture
GSDF Camp Asaka
3 Narashino City, Chiba Prefecture
GSDF Camp Narashino
Protecting the Nansei Islands and Okinawa = 4
1 and 2) Okinawa, Okinawa Prefecture
3) Miyakojima, Okinawa Prefecture
4) Ishigakijima, Okinawa Prefecture
Aegis Destroyers Equipped with SM-3 Missiles
Sea of Japan = 1
1) MSDF Myoko (DDG 175)
Left Maizuru Port on December 6, 2012
East China Sea = 2
2) MSDF Kongo (DDG 173)
Left Sasebo Port on December 6, 2012
3) MSDF Chokai (DDG 176)
Left Sasebo Port on December 6, 2012
Deploying three SM-3 equipped Aegis destroyers is a wee bit of overkill. For a comparative, three SM-3 equipped Aegis destroyers would be sufficient to protect all of Europe. But a) you can never be too sure and b) it is election season.
Later - The above will, of course, be supplemented by U.S. Navy anti-missile missile-bearing ships (Link).
Suffice it to say that Japan and South Korea will be over-protected from a rocket (or pieces of thereof) attempting to lift a satellite or a dummy payload weighing as much as a nuclear device.
Sources:
Fuji Terebi
http://www.fnn-news.com/news/headlines/articles/CONN00236607.html
The Asahi Shimbun
http://www.asahi.com/politics/update/1206/TKY201212060449.html
Mainichi Shimbun
http://mainichi.jp/select/news/20121206k0000m040091000c.html
A guide to Japan’s general election
6 hours ago
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