Pyongyang launched an unidentified ballistic missile on Tuesday which flew over the Japanese archipelago before crashing into the Pacific Ocean.
A North Korean missile flew over northeastern Japan on Tuesday (October 4th) before falling into the Pacific Ocean, the Japanese government said, which reported no casualties or damage. The projectile led to a rare activation of the J-Alert system, which appeared on the screens of national broadcaster NHK, calling on residents in the north and northeast of the archipelago to take shelter.
“North Korea around 7:22 a.m. launched a ballistic missile eastward”government spokesman Hirokazu Matsuno told reporters. “We are analyzing the details but the missile passed over the Japanese region of Tohoku (northeast) and then fell in the Pacific outside the exclusive economic zone of Japan”. He said no damage or injuries were reported from the shooting, which Prime Minister Fumio Kishida described as“act of violence”. “We strongly condemn this act”he added.
The country’s missile warning system was activated at 7:29 a.m. (2229 GMT Monday). “North Korea appears to have launched a missile. Please evacuate to buildings or underground”, the alert read. About 30 minutes later, the Prime Minister’s Office then tweeted that“A projectile that appears to be a North Korean ballistic missile probably flew over Japan”. In a statement, the Japanese Coast Guard said the missile appeared to have already landed at sea and urged ships not to approach fallen objects.
Pyongyang, which has nuclear weapons, embarked on an intensive campaign of weapons testing this year, which culminated last week with four short-range ballistic missile launches.
Deadlocked negotiations
Seoul, Tokyo and Washington on Sept. 30 conducted trilateral anti-submarine drills for the first time in five years, days after U.S. and South Korean naval forces conducted large-scale maneuvers off the peninsula. . US Vice President Kamala Harris was in Seoul on September 29 and visited the demilitarized zone (DMZ) between the two Koreas, during a trip to highlight the commitment “steadfast” of Washington to defend South Korea against the North.
Pyongyang has stepped up its banned weapons programs amid long deadlock in talks, conducting a record number of weapons tests this year and revising its legislation to make “irreversible” its status as a nuclear power. North Korea, which is subject to UN sanctions for its weapons programs, generally seeks to maximize the geopolitical impact of its tests by choosing the moment that seems most opportune to it.