Pyongyang , North Korea ( CNN ) -- As the window opened for North Korea 's latest rocket launch opened Thursday morning , the nation 's neighbors were watching developments at the remote base nervously . Japanese Patriot missile defense systems scanned the clear skies in Tokyo and an air base in Okinawa , underlining the regional tensions . ''We would like to call ( on North Korea ) for restraint until the very end , '' Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda said outside his office as he arrived Thursday , according to news agency Kyodo . He added , `` We are fully prepared to deal with any contingency , '' the news agency reported . Japan has threatened to shoot down the North Korean rocket if it is seen threatening its territory . South Korea has described the move as a `` grave provocation '' and says it will respond with `` appropriate countermeasures . '' The announcement last month of the satellite launch -- which countries like the United States and South Korea see as a cover for a ballistic missile test -- ratcheted up tensions in the region and prompted Washington to suspend a recent deal to supply food aid to the North . `` This launch will give credence to the view that North Korean leaders see improved relations with the outside world as a threat to the existence of their system , '' U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said in a speech Tuesday . `` And recent history strongly suggests that additional provocations may follow . '' The Phillipines and South Korea have ordered commercial planes and fishermen to stay clear of the rockets proposed path over the next few days . North Korea has said that it plans to launch its rocket sometime between Thursday and Monday , between the hours of 7 a.m. and noon ( 6 p.m.-11 p.m. Wednesday-Sunday in the U.S. Eastern Time zone ) . North Korea says it has started fueling a long-range rocket in final-stage preparation , a senior national space official said Wednesday . Fueling will be completed at the `` appropriate time , '' said Paek Chang Ho , head of the North Korean General Satellite Control and Command Center . He declined to be more specific . North Korea says the rocket will put a satellite in orbit . A recent report from South Korean intelligence officials claimed that North Korea is planning a new nuclear test in the area where it staged previous atomic blasts . The report noted that the two previous rocket launches that Pyongyang said were intended to put satellites into orbit were followed a few weeks or months later by nuclear tests . International leaders have urged North Korea to cancel the launch , but Pyongyang has refused to back down , insisting that the operation is for peaceful purposes . The last time Pyongyang carried out what it described as a satellite launch , in April 2009 , the U.N. Security Council condemned the action and demanded that it not be repeated . The announcement of the fueling was made on the same day as a conference of the North Korean ruling Workers ' Party that began to cement the position of the secretive state 's new leader . Korean television showed a somber Kim Jong-Un standing beneath two towering statues of his father and grandfather while receiving applause from party functionaries and the military . The meeting of party delegates and the controversial launch come as the nation prepares to mark the 100th anniversary of the birth of Kim Il Sung , the founder of North Korea who ruled the Communist state for more than four decades . His birthday on April 15 , known as the `` Day of the Sun , '' is a key public holiday in the North Korean calendar . At the conference , the late former leader Kim Jong Il was given an everlasting title . He is now eternal general secretary of the Workers ' Party of North Korea . Current leader Kim Jong Un was named the first secretary of the Workers ' Party of North Korea . The title appears to be a newly created position that sets the table for a virtual coronation of Kim Jong Un , says North Korea watcher Jonathan Pollack of the Washington-based Brookings Institution . `` Creating this new position is sort of like retiring a jersey number for a famous baseball player , '' said Pollack . `` It shows a deference to his father and to the old guard , while still cementing his control on power . '' North Korea announced several other titles for Kim Jong Un , including making him a member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission . Kim Jong Un is already described as the supreme leader of the party , state and army . But it is still unclear how directly the young Kim , thought to be in his late 20s , is involved in policy decisions . `` This move fully parallels what happened with his father , '' said Pollack . `` Kim Jong Il is now venerated at the same level as his father , buried in the same tomb and they are making statues of them riding together on horseback . '' `` But Kim Jong Un never got the on-the-job training his father did , so he may have this title to allow some mentoring or sharing power and decisions with his elders . '' CNN 's Brian Walker contributed to this report .
NEW : Officials say launch will occur in morning hours between Sunday and Monday . NEW : We will watch ; South Korea ` ` prepared to deal with any crisis '' NEW : Kim Jung Un announces new titles , signaling consolidation of power . NEW : Titles will also indicate power - sharing or mentoring of young leader , Kim says .