North Korea's Missiles 'In Upright Position'

A North Korean missile launcher has moved into the firing position with rockets facing skyward, Japanese media has said.

The reports in the Kyodo news agency come as North Koreans celebrate the appointment of their leader Kim Jong-Un a year ago, and G8 foreign ministers discuss the crisis during a meeting in London.

The Japanese government has been on high alert ahead of the expected test-firing of a medium-range missile by Pyongyang, deploying Patriot missile batteries in Tokyo as a defence measure.

South Korean and US forces in the territory of Guam have announced an upgrade of their surveillance alert status.

Tokyo is "gathering a variety of information ... with a sense of tension", Defence Minister Itsunori Onodera was quoted as saying by Kyodo.

North Korea celebrates the appointment of Kim Jong-Un

North Korea is believed to have moved at least two Musudan missiles to its eastern coast.

The untested missiles have a range of 3,500km (2,180 miles), and can cover any target in South Korea and Japan, and possibly even US military bases on the Pacific island of Guam.

According to South Korean intelligence, North Korea has been moving multiple missiles around in an apparent bid to confuse outside intelligence gatherers ahead of the expected launch.

The missiles have been repeatedly moved in and out of a warehouse facility on North Korea's east coast, the intelligence analysis cited by Yonhap news agency said.

At least five mobile launch vehicles have also been spotted swapping places and positions.

US-South Korean joint drills have angered Pyongyang

Pyongyang has not announced plans to fire a missile, but has delivered increasingly belligerent rhetoric in recent weeks in anger over joint US-South Korean military exercises being conducted in the South through the end of April.

Citing the tensions, Pyongyang has pulled more than 50,000 workers from the Kaesong industrial park it shares with South Korea - the only remaining symbol of economic cooperation between the nations.

It has warned that "thermo-nuclear war" was imminent and urged foreign tourists and diplomats in South Korea to take cover.

However, there has been no sign of diplomats leaving. The European Union said there was no need for member states to evacuate or relocate their diplomatic missions, but it called on North Korea to "refrain from further provocative declarations or action".

Patriot batteries have been deployed in Japan

Most observers say Pyongyang has no intention of starting a war that could bring its own destruction. But they have warned of the risks of miscalculation on the highly-militarised Korean peninsula.

North Koreans were celebrating Mr Kim's appointment to first secretary of the Workers' Party a year ago.

Mr Kim took up a slew of top titles in the months following the death of his father, Kim Jong-Il, in December 2011 - highlighting his family's grip on power in the reclusive nation.

A flower show, art performances and public parties are scheduled over the next few days in the lead-up to the nation's biggest holiday, the April 15 birthday of its founder Kim Il-Sung, grandfather of the current leader.

John Kerry, US, and Fumio Kishida, Japan, at G8 foreign ministers talks

Sky News' Asia correspondent Mark Stone said that the missiles' upright position on their launchers suggests a test-firing might be imminent, though he points out that in the past missiles have sat on their launchers for some days.

He says: "There is no way Kim Jong-Un  is going to back down now. He's made quite clear he wants to test one of these missiles.

"If he was to back down it would show a huge amount of weakness abroad and more importantly at home. This whole crisis is about him shoring up his own legitimacy."

At their meeting in London, foreign ministers of G8 countries - United States, Britain, Germany, Russia, France, Italy, Japan, and Canada – are expected to press China to engage with Pyongyang and use its leverage to preserve the peace in that region.

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