Japan: Nokor threat intensifying

TOKYO—One of the missiles launched by North Korea on Wednesday reached an altitude of over 1,000 km (621 miles) showing the Pyongyang regime has made progress developing intermediate range ballistic missiles (IRBM), Japan’s defense minister said.

“We don’t know whether it counts as a success, but North Korea has shown some capability with IRBMs,” Gen Nakatani told reporters in Tokyo. “The threat to Japan is intensifying.”

Japan’s defense ministry said that the second missile launched on Wednesday morning flew 400 km (248 miles) before falling into the Sea of Japan.

Melissa Hanham, an expert on North Korea’s weapons of mass destruction program at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies in California, said Wednesday’s launches represented a worrying step forward.

“I don’t know if it’s a success, but it is definitely a progress. Testing is iterative and they are learning from each flight,” Hanham said.

“Policymakers need to focus on a testing ban to prevent this from becoming a working missile,” she added.

In recent months, North Korea has claimed a series of technical breakthroughs in developing an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) capable of delivering a nuclear warhead to targets across the continental United States.