CNN —
North Korea shot down a suspected ballistic missile, the Japanese government said on Sunday.
The Japan Coast Guard reported that the possible ballistic missile from North Korea appears to have already fallen.
The Coast Guard instructed ships to heed information and stay away from objects that had fallen into the sea. She also asked the ships to report all relevant information.
On Tuesday, without warning, North Korea fired another missile that flew over and past Japan, prompting Japan to warn its citizens to take shelter.
The rocket flew over northern Japan early in the morning and is said to have landed in the Pacific Ocean. The last time North Korea fired a ballistic missile over Japan was in 2017.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned that if North Korea continues “down this path” of provocation after launching ballistic missiles on Tuesday, “it will only increase condemnation, increase isolation and increase steps taken in response to their actions.”
The US imposed new sanctions on Friday after North Korea recently tested ballistic missiles, the US Treasury and State Departments said.
North Korea normally fires its missiles into waters off the coast of the Korean Peninsula, making Tuesday’s flight over Japan considerably more provocative.
Excluding Sunday’s alleged launch, North Korea has launched six missiles in the past two weeks, an increase even in a year with the highest number of launches since leader Kim Jong Un came to power in 2011.
The aggressive acceleration of weapons testing has raised alarms in the region, prompting the US, South Korea and Japan to respond with missile launches and joint military exercises. The US has also moved an aircraft carrier in waters near the peninsula, a move South Korean authorities described as “very unusual”.
This is breaking news and will be updated.