North Korean Missile Passes Over Japanese Archipelago for First Time in 5 Years... Kishida Calls It "Outrage" (Summary)

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Hyunjin] On the 4th, the Japanese government instructed residents of Hokkaido and Aomori Prefecture to evacuate, stating that a North Korean ballistic missile passed over Japanese airspace. This is the first time in five years that a North Korean missile has passed over the Japanese archipelago. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida strongly condemned North Korea's missile launch, calling it an "outrage."

According to NHK and other sources, the Japanese Prime Minister's Office Crisis Management Center announced around 7:22 a.m. that a missile was believed to have been launched by North Korea. The Nihon Keizai Shimbun reported that this is the first time in five years since September 15, 2017, that a North Korean missile has passed over Japanese airspace.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno stated at an emergency press conference regarding North Korea's missile launch that the missile passed over the Japanese archipelago and appeared to have fallen into the Pacific Ocean. Matsuno criticized North Korea's ballistic missile launch as a violation of the United Nations (UN) Security Council sanctions against North Korea and said that passing over the Japanese archipelago threatens the safety of Japanese residents.

Prior to Matsuno's press conference, a Japanese government official told NHK that an object presumed to be a ballistic missile launched from North Korea may have passed over Japanese airspace.

The Japanese government believes that North Korea's missile flew over 4,000 km for about 20 minutes and likely fell into waters 3,000 km east of the Japanese archipelago. Matsuno explained that the missile fell outside Japan's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) around 7:44 a.m. The Japanese Ministry of Defense stated that it is conducting information analysis.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida
[Photo by Reuters]

The Japanese government said the missile appeared to have passed over the northeastern regions of Hokkaido and Aomori Prefecture and headed toward the Pacific Ocean, urging local residents not to approach suspicious objects and to contact the police or fire authorities. The Japan Coast Guard advised vessels in navigation to pay close attention to future information.

NHK reported that, so far, no damage has been reported to the Japanese government.

Prime Minister Kishida strongly condemned North Korea regarding the ballistic missile passing over the Japanese archipelago. At the Prime Minister's Office in the morning, he told reporters that the North Korean missile appeared to have passed over the Japanese archipelago and fallen into the Pacific Ocean, calling it an "outrage" and strongly condemning it.

Kishida said he had instructed the assessment of damage, information gathering, and coordination with related countries following North Korea's missile launch. He also requested coordinated responses with related countries such as the United States and South Korea during the information collection and analysis process.

The Japanese government held a National Security Council (NSC) meeting in the morning to discuss responses to North Korea's missile launch.

Meanwhile, the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff announced that North Korea launched a ballistic missile into the East Sea on the same day. The military authorities are analyzing parameters such as range, altitude, and speed.

North Korea has launched ballistic missiles 21 times and cruise missiles twice this year. Since the inauguration of the Yoon Suk-yeol administration, this is the ninth missile launch.