North Korean missile flies over Japanese territory

North Korea fired a ballistic missile that flew over Japanese territory during the night from Monday to Tuesday. The projectile traveled 4000 kilometers, according to the Japanese public broadcaster NHK.

In Japan, the J-Alert went off after the launch, warning residents of the north and northeast that a missile had been fired that appeared to be heading towards Japan’s northernmost main island, Hokkaido, and northeastern Aomori prefecture. come. Rail traffic in that region was halted. Eventually the missile landed on the other side of the country in the Pacific Ocean.

On behalf of the Japanese government, chief of cabinet Hirokazu Matsuno said on Monday that authorities are still analyzing the details of the launch. But he was able to say that the missile was fired from North Korea at 7:22 a.m. local time, flew over Japan’s Tohoku region in the northeast, and eventually landed in the Pacific Ocean outside Japanese territory. No injuries were reported, Matsuno said.

Both Japan and South Korea have strongly condemned the launch. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida called the move “barbaric” and South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol said North Korea could count on a strong response from the international community.

The launch was the fifth in ten days. Previous launches took place shortly after US Vice President Kamala Harris’ visit to South Korea, who met Yoon Suk-yeol on Thursday. Both then condemned North Korea’s “provocative nuclear rhetoric and ballistic missile testing”.

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