North Korea has fired ballistic missiles again, Japanese officials say. Residents of central Japan were urged to take shelter in their homes, according to the Tokyo government’s broadcast alert system. The warning said that a missile was flying over Japan.
The Japanese Ministry of Defense later claimed that the missile did not fly over Japanese territory. About an hour after the first launch, the South Korean military and Japan Coast Guard reported a second launch from North Korea. Japan reported a third soon after.
The first bullet passed through a stage separation, suggesting it could have been a long-range weapon, South Korean news agency Yonhap reported. Japanese broadcaster FNN quoted government circles as saying it crashed into the Pacific Ocean about 1,100 kilometers east of Japan.
Missiles over the maritime border
In early October, North Korea fired a missile that flew over the Japanese archipelago for the first time in nearly five years. The government in Pyongyang fired at least 23 rockets into the sea yesterday.
A missile actually crossed the maritime border and landed on the coast not far from South Korean territorial waters. South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol called it a “territorial invasion” and the Washington government condemned the move as “reckless”.