Japan's Defense Minister Gen Nakatani told a press briefing Tuesday that his ministry is fully poised for any rocket or missile tests by the DPRK, stating that Patriot Advanced Capability-3, or PAC-3, surface-to-air missile systems have been deployed at 34 locations.

The locations comprise the ministry's facilities in Ichigaya in Tokyo, as well as in Asaka and Narashino, which is close to the nation's capital.

Nakatani said a launch could occur without prior notice and as such Japan had to ready itself for a number of potential scenarios.

He said past launches have come without any warning, and, as such, the potential for rocket or missile-related objects falling into waters around Japan existed.

Hence, while not mentioning specifics, Japan's defense minister said Maritime Self-Defense Force's Aegis destroyers, equipped with the Standard Missile-3, SM-3 Block 1A missile interceptor systems have also been deployed in the Sea of Japan and surrounding waters.

The United Nations has satellites capable of issuing early warnings of missile launches, and the defense ministry here has said that if a launch is detected by satellites, or X-band radars detect an incoming missile, the SM-3 system would try to intercept it while in flight.