North Korea Again Defends Ballistic Missiles, Japanese Prime Minister Kishida: Barred And Unreceived

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. (Wikimedia Commons/)

JAKARTA - Japanese authorities criticized North Korea's ballistic missile launch on Thursday, causing warning alarms to sound and residents took refuge, with investigations to be carried out as one of the missiles disappeared from radar.

North Korea launched three missiles to the east Thursday morning, the Japanese Government said, adding one of them might be intercontinental ballistic missiles, citing Kyodo News November 3. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida denounced North Korea's missile launch as a barbaric and unacceptable act.

In a brief comment to reporters, PM Kishida said, "North Korea's repeated missile launch is anger and absolutely unjustified," as quoted by Reuters.

The Japanese government initially issued a J-Alert warning that the first missile launched by North Korea would fly over the main island of Honshu, but later corrected the announcement, saying projectiles had disappeared from radar over the Japanese Sea.

South Korea's military Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said it detected what was suspected to be the launch of an ICBM from the Suan area in Pyongyang at around 07.40 local time, as well as the shooting of two short-range ballistic missiles from Kaechon in South Pyongan Province from around 08:39 local time, according to the Korea Times.

There was no damage from reported missiles, according to the government, which had previously issued warnings for residents in several northeastern and central prefectures of Japan to stay indoors.

Regarding the first missile launched by North Korea, Japanese Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada told reporters, "We are still investigating the cause of the missile's disappearance."

One of North Korea's missiles flew about 750 kilometers at an altitude of about 2,000 km before falling into the Sea of Japan, Hamada said.

Meanwhile, retired Deputy Admiral and former commander of Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force fleet Yoji Koda said radar tracking losses on projectiles on Thursday indicated it may be a failed launch.

"Even though the warhead crashed in the Japanese Sea, the debris, which will travel at high speed, may still pass through Japan," he explained.

North Korea has experienced several failed ICBM tests this year, according to South Korean and US officials.