TOKYO - Japanese Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera on Sunday ordered the Self-Defense Forces (SDF) to prepare for the shooting down of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) ballistic missiles in the event that any are launched, Kyodo news agency quoted government sources as saying.

While such an order has been issued three times in the past over DPRK missiles, the latest order was the first to be issued prior to Pyongyang actually making a launch announcement, said Kyodo.

"There is not a high possibility that a missile would target Japan, but we have determined we should prepare for any contingency," Kyodo quoted a source as saying.