N. Korea again issues navigation ban in Sea of Japan+

TOKYO, June 18 Kyodo -
North Korea has banned vessels from passing through waters off its eastern
coast in the Sea of Japan, the Japan Coast Guard said Thursday, a move that
could suggest Pyongyang plans to launch more short-range missiles.

The coast guard issued a warning to ships planning to pass through the area
after monitoring the North Korean navigation ban radioed to vessels in waters
off the country.
The ban covers an area some 263 kilometers long and up to 54 km wide in waters
off Wonsan in the eastern part of North Korea.
The area covered by the fresh ban is almost the same as that specified in a ban
issued earlier this month. Based on the previous navigation ban, the Japan
Coast Guard issued an alert to vessels on June 8.
The fresh navigation ban also covers a 12-hour time zone between 8 a.m. and 8
p.m., both Japan time, every day through June 30, the coast guard said.
The coast guard said it is not known why North Korea issued the fresh
navigation ban and if it is linked with the previous one.
On April 5, North Korea conducted a rocket launch seen as a test for a
long-range missile. The first stage fell into the Sea of Japan and the second
stage flew over Japan and landed in the Pacific.
On May 25, North Korea conducted its second nuclear test and launched three
short-range missiles into the Sea of Japan.
==Kyodo