The country has been on high alert since North Korea fired an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) over Hokkaido last month.
And Kim Jong-un’s hermit state might carry out its third ICBM test today as it celebrates the Day of the Foundation of the Republic – one of the most important festivals in the North Koran calendar and ther perfect opportunity to show off with more tests.
And the Japanese government made it clear it was not taking any chances with its citizen living in South Korea.
Speaking last week Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said: “There is a possibility of further provocations.
“We need to remain extremely vigilant and do everything we can to ensure the safety of our people.”
In the wake of the missile launch, and last weekend’s nuclear provocative test, Japan has “ramped up preparations for emergency situations”, including the evacuation of almost 60,000 of its citizens from South Korea.
Around 38,000 long-term Japanese residents and 19,000 tourists currently reside in Japan, Nikkei reports.
Evacuation measures have been put in place in anticipation of a US “military strike against North Korea”, a Japanese government source said.
The source said: “If the US decided on a military strike against the North, the Japanese government would start moving toward an evacuation on its own accord regardless of whether the American plans are public.”
A four-tier emergency plan has been put in place by Tokyo in the event a conflict breaks out on the Korean peninsula.
Seoul has agreed to give Japanese citizens access to safe zones, such as designated subway stations, churches and shopping malls, according to a Japanese source.
The Japanese government has already provided its citizens in South Korea with information on over 900 such facilities.
Fears of a conflict in the region are high after Donald Trump threatened North Korea with “fire and fury” over its missile tests.
The US and Japanese air forces have been carrying out joint combat drills over the East China Sea this week and China has also been carrying missile tests of its own.