North Korea fires missile

Projectile flies above Tohoku, lands 4,600 km from launch site

Without warning, North Korea launched a ballistic missile on Tuesday morning that ew over Japan and into the Paci c Ocean.

is marked the seventh time that the path of a North Korean missile has taken it over Japan, and the rst since Sept. 15, 2017, when an intermediate-range Hwasong-12 ballistic missile ew over Hokkaido.

e Defense Ministry said the missile was launched around 7:22 a.m. and had a maximum altitude of about 1,000 kilometers, before falling into the Paci c Ocean outside Japan’s exclusive economic zone at 7:44 a.m. about 3,200 kilometers east of Kamaishi, Iwate Prefecture. No damage to aircra or ships has been conrmed.

e total distance of about 4,600 kilometers from the launch site to the point the projectile fell into the ocean is thought to be the longest ever recorded for a North Korean ballistic missile.

According to the South Korean military, the launch site was near Mupyong-ri in the northern province of Jagang, and the missile reached a speed of Mach 17.

Immediately a er the launch, the Japanese government issue a J-Alert warning, calling for people in applicable areas to shelter, and used the Em-Net emergency information network to contact municipalities.

e Self-Defense Forces did not engage in any interception procedures, judging that there was no danger of the missile falling in Japan.

e missile is believed to have passed over Aomori Prefecture at 7:28-7:29 a.m.

“It is believed to have been a ballistic missile with the range of an intermediate-range ballistic missile or longer,” Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada said to reporters.

North Korea also launched a Hwasong-12 from Mupyongri in January. Japan is analyzing the possibility that it may have been the same type of missile this time as well. e Hwasong-12 has an estimated range of about 5,000 kilometers, said to be capable of reaching the U.S. territory of Guam.

“I strongly condemn this outrage following the recent repeated launch of ballistic missiles,” Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said to reporters at the Prime Minister’s O ce.

is is the 23rd time this year that North Korea has launched missiles, including cruise missiles. Since Sept. 25, North Korea has conducted ve launches, ring o eight missiles.

In late September, Washington and Seoul conducted joint naval exercises in waters o South Korea with the presence of the USS Ronald Reagan nuclear-powered aircra carrier to enhance deterrence against Pyongyang. At the end of the same month, Japan, the U.S. and South Korea also conducted a joint anti-submarine drill. In response, North Korea has been displaying a confrontational posture, with the latest missile launch believed to be aimed at strongly checking the three nations.

On Tuesday morning, Kishida held a four-minister meeting of the National Security Council, comprising the prime minister, chief cabinet secretary, foreign minister and defense minister, to discuss a response. e prime minister also instructed government o cials to assess any damage, gather and analyze information thoroughly, and cooperate with relevant nations. e government, through its diplomatic channels in Beijing, lodged a stern protest with North Korea.

OFFICIALS DENOUNCE ACT

Tensions were running high on Tuesday morning when a ballistic missile red by North Korea ew over Japan, triggering a warning on the J-Alert system.

Transportation was disrupted in the Tohoku region and Hokkaido, a ecting school commutes.

“It’s an absolutely intolerable act. Even though no damage has been reported, we will continue to collect information,” said Ushio Yanata, deputy director of the Aomori Prefectural Crisis Management Bureau.

e missile ew over the prefecture.

Following reports of the missile launch, o cials rushed to the Aomori government building, and the prefectural government set up a crisis management task force at 7:43 a.m.

At the time of the launch, 20 shing boats were operating in the Sea of Japan and ve in the Paci c Ocean. e safety of all of the shing crews had been con rmed, according to the prefecture.

Hokkaido prefectural o cials in the crisis management division were also busy handling the situation, taking such steps as contacting municipal o ces.

“e ring of a missile over our country is a grave threat. It’s an intolerable, reckless act,” Hokkaido Gov. Naomichi Suzuki said at an emergency meeting on Tuesday at about 10:30 a.m.

According to the Sapporo City Board of Education, some elementary and junior high schools in the city delayed the start of school by about 40 minutes due to safety concerns.

e anxious owner of a large saury shing boat that operates in the Paci c was eager for information about where the missile had landed, re ecting the concerns of others in the industry.

J-ALERT ISSUED

e J-Alert warning system was triggered in Hokkaido, Aomori and other prefectures on Tuesday morning, following the launch of an intermediate-range ballistic missile by North Korea.

An alert is issued when missiles are expected to y over or land in a region of Japan, according to the Cabinet Secretariat.

Local governments receive information via the Internal A airs and Communications Ministry and issue public warnings via outdoor loudspeakers and other means. Emergency messages are also sent to mobile phones.

e Cabinet Secretariat advises people to evacuate immediately if they receive a J-Alert, as missiles can reach targets in as little as 10 minutes a er a launch.

However, no J-Alert warning was transmitted in the Hokkaido town of Shin-Hidaka because, according to the town, its J-Alert receiver was broken and has been under repair since Sept. 28. As a result, no warning announcements or sirens were triggered via the municipality’s emergency broadcast system, including outdoor loudspeakers.

Railway companies in Hokkaido and the Tohoku region temporarily suspended services on Tuesday morning. Aircra and ships around Japan were also warned about potential danger a er the missile launch.

Hokkaido Railway Co. stopped all trains at about 7:27 a.m. but gradually started resuming operations 15 minutes later. According to the railway

rm, 13 trains were canceled. (Oct. 5)

The Yomiuri Shimbun A sign at Odori Station in Sapporo says operations are behind schedule because of a missile launch on Tuesday morning.