Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said his government was making contingency plans in the event of a humanitarian crisis, should the US respond to North Korea's refusal to abandon its nuclear missile programme. <\/p>\n
Mr Shinzo also urged North Korea to comply with UN resolutions to refrain from provoking the US into further military action. <\/p>\n
North Korea launched a ballistic missile on Sunday but it blew up almost immediately, the U.S. Pacific Command said. <\/p>\n
Today, US Vice President Mike Pence visited the demilitarised border between North and South Korea and repeated that the US era of \"strategic patience\" with Pyongyang was over. <\/p>\n
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However, Kim Jong-un has refused to back down, despite edging towards all-out war with the US. <\/p>\n
The North Korean leader has promised to carry out another nuclear test by next week. <\/p>\n
Should war break out, Japan is expecting a huge influx of asylum seekers fleeing the region. <\/p>\n
Mr Abe told parliament he was considering the Japanese response to a potential crisis, including floods of refugees and how to evacuate Japanese citizens from South Korea. <\/p>\n
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He said: \"We assume a series of responses in case of evacuees into Japan, such as protecting them, a process of landing, housing facilities and their management, and a screening whether our nation should protect them. <\/p>\n
According to the Japanese National Security Council, there are almost 60,000 Japanese citizens living in South Korea. <\/p>\n
The Prime Minister said he would be discussing the North Korea issue with Russian President Vladimir Putin at a summit later this month. <\/p>\n
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Japan prepares for North Korean refugee crisis if Kim Jong-un starts WW3 - Express.co.uk<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said his government was making contingency plans in the event of a humanitarian crisis, should the US respond to North Korea's refusal to abandon its nuclear missile programme. Continue reading