Japan confirmed that the unidentified ballistic missile launched today by North Korea into the Sea of Japan (called the East Sea in the two Koreas) fell outside its territory and the waters of its exclusive economic space (EEZ).
“We believe that they have launched at least one missile with the possibility of being an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). We have confirmed that it has not fallen on the territory of our country or in the EEZ area,” Japanese Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada said today at a press conference.
The Japanese Prime Minister, Fumio Kishida, also confirmed this release and said that it had fallen out of its waters. He called a security meeting with several of his ministers to investigate what had happened.
missile launch
Today’s launch was confirmed by the South Korean Army, and led the authorities on the Japanese island of Hokkaido to temporarily activate the alert given the possibility that the projectile would impact near it.
The Japanese authorities updated this alert around 8:20 a.m. (23:20 GMT on Wednesday) noting that there was no longer a possibility that the missile would fall on the island of Hokkaido or in its vicinity.
Previously, the company that operates the railway lines in that prefecture, JR Hokkaido, suspended all its operations shortly before 8 a.m. local time while the Japanese Ministry of Transportation alerted ships and planes circulating in the area about the possible impact. of the missile.
The Japanese Coast Guard indicated in turn that it expected the impact in the waters around Hokkaido from 8:00 a.m. (23:00 GMT on Wednesday), and later, at 8:19 a.m., indicated that it would have already fallen into the sea at an undetermined point.
In the last month, Pyongyang has responded to the great spring maneuvers in Seoul and Washington -in which Tokyo has also occasionally participated- with various weapons tests, including those of a new nuclear-capable guided drone or torpedo.