Japanese Retailer Says Nuclear Shelter Sales Doubled Prior To North Korea's Rocket Launch

April 7, 2009 4:03 p.m. EST

Tokyo, Japan (AHN) - A Japanese maker of nuclear fallout shelters said that sales rose dramatically in the lead-up to North Korea's rocket launch, as a number of concerned Japanese citizens took safety matters into their own hands.

The Osaka-based Shelter Co. said it received orders for 12 shelters in jus two months prior to Sunday's launch, more than twice the number it usually sells in the entire year.

The Swiss-made 2.8 million yen (28,000 dollar) "household nuclear shelters" are selling at a record pace as jitters intensified over Pyongyang's rocket launch on Sunday.

"This is a record in the 30 years I've been in this business," company president Seiichiro Nishimoto said, adding that he "expects the number of orders to increase."

North Korea said the rocket it launched over Japan on Sunday carried a satellite into orbit, but international consensus is that the launch was a cover for a test of an intercontinental ballistic missile.