The public television broadcaster NHK interrupted its program on Thursday morning (3rd local time) after a missile fired by North Korea allegedly flew over Japan and crashed into the Pacific Ocean.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s office said the projectile flew over the archipelago at around 7:48 a.m. local time. The first warning, broadcast on other Japanese channels, urged the country’s population not to leave their homes.
A little less than an hour later after the initial warning, TV stations began reporting that it was no longer necessary to stay indoors, although the importance of staying away from missile debris was reinforced.
Then Japanese Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada went to the press to explain that the missile did not actually enter the country’s sovereign territory but had the potential to reach the northern region of the island.
“It was determined that the missile had the potential to overfly the Japanese archipelago, so the warning was issued,” Hamada said. “After analyzing the information, we confirmed that the missile did not cross the Japanese archipelago but disappeared into the Sea of Japan,” he added.
According to information from NHK World, at least three missiles from North Korea were fired at Japan, including longrange weapons.
Tensions in the region have risen in recent months after North Korea’s Kim Jongun government intensified military tests in the region, including a series of exercises that involved launching missiles into the Sea of Japan. The United States and South Korea have stepped up surveillance in the region alongside the Japanese.