North Korea Launches Ballistic Missile At Japan, PM Kishida Protests And Calls Barbaric

Illustration of North Korea's ICBM missile launch. (Source: KCNA)

JAKARTA - North Korea fired a ballistic missile at Japan for the first time in five years on Tuesday, causing Tokyo to ask its citizens to take cover and temporarily suspend rail services in the northern region.

The Japanese government warned its citizens to take cover when the missile appeared to have flown past its territory before falling into the Pacific Sea.

Tokyo said it did not use any defensive measures to destroy the missile, the first to pass or pass through Japan from North Korea since 2017.

"North Korea's actions include repeated ballistic missile launches, threatening peace and security of Japan, the region, and the international community, and pose serious challenges to the entire international community, including Japan," Japanese government spokesman Hirokazu Matsuno said in a brief news conference, as reported by Reuters, October 4.

Speaking to reporters shortly after, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida called North Korea's actions barbaric, ensuring his government would continue to gather and analyze information.

TV Economy, citing unnamed government sources, said North Korea may have fired an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) and crashed into the sea about 3,000 km (1,860 miles) from Japan.

Meanwhile, the Joint Chiefs of Staff of South Korea (JCS) and the Japanese coast guard reported the missile test, which was launched on North Korea's east coast.

South Korea's JCS said it appeared to be a medium-range ballistic missile (IRBM) launched from North Korea's Jagang Province. North Korea has used the province to launch several recent tests, including several missiles claimed to be "hypersonic."

The latest launch is Pyongyang's fifth in 10 days, amid military muscle 'bent' by the United States and South Korea, which conducted trilateral anti-submarine exercises last week with Japanese naval forces.

Earlier, North Korea was said to have completed preparations for a nuclear test, which may be conducted between the Chinese Communist Party Congress this month and a part-time US election in November, South Korean lawmakers said based on intelligence information last week.