Japan deploys surveillance ship amid reports North Korea readying missile test

Japan has sent a high-tech surveillance battleship to the Sea of Japan, the Defense Agency said Thursday, amid Japanese media reports that North Korea could be preparing a ballistic missile test.

Defense Agency spokesman Yoshiyuki Ueno confirmed that the Aegis-equipped destroyer, with top-of-the-line surveillance capabilities, has been dispatched to the Sea of Japan, which lies between between Japan and North Korea.

Ueno refused to say when it was deployed, and described its mission as part of regular patrol activities.

But the dispatch came as two major Japanese newspapers reported North Korea appears to be making final preparations to test-launch its Rodong ballistic missile.

The Yomiuri, Japan's largest newspaper, said U.S. military officials in Japan had notified their Japanese counterparts of the possibility last

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