Seoul: North Korea fired several ballistic missiles on Thursday, one of which sent an emergency warning to sheltering residents in parts of central and northern Japan, the latest in a record year of missile tests by the nuclear-armed North.
According to the J-Alert Emergency Broadcasting System, residents of Miyagi, Yamagata and Niigata prefectures in northern Japan were asked to take shelter indoors.
Despite an early government warning that a missile had struck Japan, Tokyo later said the report was false. The Japan Coast Guard confirmed at 8:10 am that the missiles had landed somewhere in the Pacific Ocean.
Japan’s Prime Minister’s Office also issued an emergency alert in view of a suspected ballistic missile launched by North Korea.
Japan’s Prime Minister’s Office has issued an emergency alert following a suspected ballistic missile launched by North Korea. https://t.co/RwhX0qZ2xp pic.twitter.com/QNjnart3a2— ANI (@ANI) 3 November 2022
A day after the launches, North Korea fired at least 23 missiles, the most in a day, including a missile that landed off the coast of South Korea for the first time. The latest missile launch is the second time the nuclear-armed North has fired a missile over Japan this year and the eighth time overall. Such launches are seen as a far more provocative move than recent short-range missile tests.