The Japanese government confirmed that the unidentified ballistic missile launched today by Pyongyang into the Sea of Japan (called the East Sea in the two Koreas) fell outside its territory and outside the waters of its exclusive economic space (EEZ), after the anti-missile alert was activated on the northern island of Hokkaido, reports Efe.
The South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff has confirmed that the missilelaunched from near Pyongyang, flew about 1,000 kilometers before falling into the Sea of Japan. This would mean that the missile was launched from a higher angle than normal, since if it had been sent from the usual position it could have traveled 5,000 kilometers away. Although investigations into the type of missile continue, South Korea opens the door to a new type of device, a solid fuel rocket, which Pyongyang could be testing, reports Ep.
“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 landed on the territory of our country or in the EEZ area,” the Japanese Defense Minister said today. , Yasukazu Hamada, at a press conference.
The Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, He also said that the missile had fallen out of his waters and called a security meeting with several of his ministers to investigate what happened.
Today’s launch was confirmed by the South Korean Army, and led authorities on the Japanese island of Hokkaido to temporarily activate the alertasking the population to take refuge in buildings or in underground places, given the possibility that the projectile would hit this territory or near it.
The Japanese authorities updated this alert at around 8:20 am (11:20 pm on Wednesday) noting that there was no longer any possibility of the missile falling on the island of Hokkaido or in its vicinity.
The executive spokesman, Hirokazu Matsuno, defended the “proper” functioning of the national missile warning system J-Alertwhen asked today at a press conference about the different indications offered to the population through this platform in a short period of time.
“A missile was detected that could be aimed at Hokkaido, and right after he disappeared from the radar. Since the system generated such hints with limited detection data, the alert was issued from the perspective of prioritizing the safety of the public,” Matsuno explained.
In addition, the operating company of the railway lines in that prefecture, JR Hokkaido, suspended all its operations shortly before 8 a.m. local time, at the same time that 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.
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