North Korea fired a suspected ICBM on Saturday, Japan’s Defense Ministry said, with the weapon falling about 200 kilometers off the island of Oshima on Hokkaido in Japan’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).
The missile, the first “ICBM-class” weapon launched from the North since November, traveled about 900 km and reached a peak altitude of 5,700 km, the ministry said. With a flight time of 66 minutes, the missile was likely being flown on an “elevated” trajectory, the ministry added, meaning it was shot almost vertically overhead to avoid overflying neighboring countries.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Japan had protested the launch, calling it a “disgrace” and an escalation against “the international community as a whole”.
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