A Japanese daily claims a rocket launched by North Korea on Sunday may have used Japanese components.

The Yomiuri Shimbun quoted a defected North Korean technician as saying that many Japanese parts may have been used in the North Korean rocket. It said the technician, who had been a production engineer for North Korea's missile guidance equipment, believes the North’s guidance system may have used Japanese circuits.

He said the Japanese circuit is relatively small and of good quality, adding that the North's missile capabilities would only be half of what they are now without the Japanese technology.

The report said the North Korean defector was born in 1946 and studied radio engineering at North Korea’s National Defense University. He worked at a military supply factory until 1997 before he defected to China.