A US Navy missile tracking ship, USNS Howard O, Lorenzen, has arrived in Japan ahead of North Korea launching a missile test. Japanese military officials have said that they are prepared to shoot down any missile test that threatens Japan coming from North Korea. Atimes.com reports: US Navy officials have not given a reason for the Lorenzen’s docking at Sasebo. But a local activist group, “RIMPEACE,” says that it is part of a US-Japan response to “North Korea’s planned missile launch.” The Lorenzen is a missile range instrumentation ship equipped with large radar capacity to track missiles and rockets. The US Navy uses the ship to monitor the capability of domestic and foreign missiles. Japanese Defense Minister Gen Nakatani on Wednesday ordered ballistic missile defense units, including Aegis destroyers in the Sea of Japan and Patriot missile batteries onshore, to be ready to shoot down any North Korean rocket that threatens Japan’s security. Japan’s decision to put its military on heightened alert comes after North Korea told the United Nations it plans to launch a satellite as early as next week, a move that could advance Pyongyang’s long-range missile technology following its fourth nuclear test on Jan. 6. South Korea said earlier [...]