US Secretary of State John Kerry told Japan on Sunday the United States would protect it from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's threats.

After a meeting with Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida in Tokyo, where Patriot missiles have been deployed in anticipation of a missile launch by the DPRK, Kerry pledged the US would back its ally. "The US is fully committed to the defense of Japan," he said at a joint news conference with Kishida.

Kerry's comments came after the DPRK's Korean Central News Agency said on Friday any attempt by Japan to shoot down a missile would result in war that would see Tokyo "consumed in nuclear flames".

"Japan is always in the cross-hairs of our revolutionary army and if Japan makes a slightest move, the spark of war will touch Japan first," KCNA said in a commentary.

Kerry found a sympathetic ear in Japan, where Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who will hold talks with Kerry on Monday, said Pyongyang had to realize it was harming itself by being "provocative". There are fears the launch could come on Monday, the anniversary of the birth of the DPRK's late founder Kim Il-sung. The presence of Kerry in the region, ensuring maximum publicity, may also appeal to the DPRK.

AFP