Japan will clear the way for the deployment of ballistic missile interceptors as it prepares for the possibility a rocket launched by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) could fall toward its territory, Kyodo news agency reported yesterday.

The DPRK has said it intends to launch a satellite between April 4 and 8. The plan is regarded as a disguised long-range missile test.

The plan has alarmed the region and prompted some airlines to say they will alter flight routes during the test period. The DPRK stunned Tokyo with the launch of a rocket in 1998 that flew over Japan before dropping into the Pacific Ocean.