. Korea May Be Preparing Missile Launch

TOKYO - Japan said it has obtained intelligence indicating that North Korea may be preparing to test fire a short-range missile, in what would be the latest provocation from the communist country. Government officials convened an emergency task-force team in the prime minister's office Thursday after intelligence showed that North Korea appears to be beefing up troops and equipment around missile launch bases, said Shigemi Terui, a spokesman at the prime minister's office. Media reports citing government officials said an immediate launch was not expected. South Korea said missile-related activities had been detected in the North by U.S. and South Korean militaries. "There is a high possibility that these were part of the annual, routine activities of North Korean missile units," Rhee Bong-jo, the deputy unification minister, said in Seoul.