New Delhi: North Korea fired an unidentified ballistic missile over Japan that flew over Tokyo on Tuesday for the first time in five years after which Japan urged its residents to evacuate to shelters. According to Kyodo News, early Tuesday, the government issued an alert urging residents in Japan’s northernmost main island of Hokkaido and the country’s northeastern prefecture of Aomori to stay inside buildings, as reported by the news agency ANI.
Instructions by the Prime Minister in Response to the Missile Launch by North Korea (07:31)
The launch of a ballistic missile in a manner that passes through the airspace over Japan is an act that can potentially seriously impact the lives and property of the Japanese people.
— PM’s Office of Japan (@JPN_PMO) October 4, 2022
During a press conference, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno as quoted by ANI citing Kyodo News said that after crossing northeast Japan the missile is believed to have fallen in the Pacific Ocean outside Japan’s exclusive economic zone around 7:44 am (local time).
Meanwhile, the South Korean military said that North Korea fired a mid-range ballistic missile eastward from Mupyong-ri in the northern province of Jagang. There were no immediate reports of damage to aircraft or ships, ANI reported citing a Japanese government source, Kyodo News.
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Earlier, North Korea fired missiles on Saturday in an apparent protest against joint naval drills held last week involving the United States and South Korea, according to the media outlet. North Korea fired two apparent short-range ballistic missiles on September 29, hours after US Vice President Kamala Harris met South Korean President Yoon Suk-Yeol in Seoul.
Notably, the missile launch came a day after nuclear-armed North Korea fired two short-range weapons on September 28 and one missile on September 25. It was the fifth test in five days, ANI reported citing The Japan Times.
(With ANI Inputs)