TOKYO (dpa-AFX) – According to information from the Japanese government, North Korea has fired a rocket over southern Japan towards the Pacific. There are no reports of damage after North Korea launched a suspected ballistic missile, a government spokesman in Tokyo said early Thursday morning (local time) at a hastily called press conference. The rocket was launched from Tongchang-ri at around 3:51 a.m. and flew towards the Pacific via Okinawa in southern Japan. Japan informed its own population about the J-Alert warning system.
Japan was informed Tuesday that North Korea plans to launch a satellite between Thursday and August 31. Pyongyang only tried on May 31 to put a so-called military reconnaissance satellite into orbit, but failed. The technology of space missiles and long-range military missiles differs little.
The United States and its allies South Korea and Japan had condemned the failed missile launch. They accused North Korea of using technology directly related to its ballistic missile program. UN resolutions ban North Korea from launching ballistic missiles of any range. Depending on the design, such rockets can be equipped with nuclear warheads./ln/DP/he