Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda observed the Ministry of Defense and gave words of encouragement to the members of the PAC-3 unit deployed at Camp Ichigaya.

In his words of encouragement, the Prime Minister said,

"On December 1, North Korea announced the launch of a missile, which they call a 'satellite.' Based on this, we must take every possible measure to protect the lives and assets of people.
An order on destructive measures was issued by Mr. Satoshi Morimoto, Minister of Defense, today. Following this, I would like to ask you all to take every measure in the preparation to allow for reactions against any kind of situation that may arise, as well as to stay cool and react in a resolute and secure manner for ensuring the safety of people's lives and assets, should the missile be launched."