URGENT: N. Korea’s plan to launch missile threatens peace in region: Japan

North Korea’s decision to fire a missile poses a threat to peace and stability in the international community, the top Japanese government spokesman said Monday, following Pyongyang’s announcement of a plan to launch “a satellite” in the not-so-distant future.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno told a press conference that if North Korea follows through on its plan to launch a missile it would violate U.N. Security Council resolutions that impose sanctions on the nation for its missile activity, describing the move as a “serious provocation.”

Matsuno’s remarks came after North Korea noti...