A North Korean ballistic missile flew over Japan
North Korea fired a medium-range ballistic missile on Tuesday that flew over Japan, prompting Tokyo to activate its warning system and ask people to take shelter.
REUTERS - KIM HONG-JI
Text by: RFI Follow
3 mins
For the first time in five years, North Korea fired a ballistic missile over Japan on Tuesday morning, October 4.
A very rare practice on the part of Pyongyang which led to an evacuation order in certain prefectures in the north and north-east of Japan.
No casualties or damage were reported by authorities.
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With our correspondent in Seoul,
Nicolas Rocca
This morning's test is
the fifth ballistic missile launch
in less than ten days and the second largest in a year when the North Korean regime has been more active than ever in the military field.
According to the South Korean military, it is an intermediate-range ballistic missile.
If this type of projectile has already been fired by Pyongyang at the start of the year, it had ended its course in the sea between Japan and the Korean peninsula.
This time, the missile, fired at around 7 a.m. Tuesday morning (Seoul time), flew over Japan before crashing into the Pacific Ocean.
An unusual trajectory which prompted the Japanese authorities to send an evacuation message to the inhabitants of the Japanese prefectures of Hokkaido and Aomori and to encourage them to take shelter.
#BREAKING: Japan says North Korea has launched a missile, warns people to seek shelter immediately.
Message running on local TV: "North Korea appears to have launched a missile. Please evacuate to the inside of a building or go to the basement. Target area: Hokkaido" pic.twitter.com/66jDRqkJFU
— Moshe Schwartz (@YWNReporter) October 3, 2022
Intensification
The context lends itself to a show of force.
On September 29, Kamala Harris, the American vice-president went to the DMZ, the buffer zone which separates the two Koreas, and very strongly condemned the actions of Pyongyang.
And then the United States, South Korea and Japan conducted anti-submarine exercises for the first time in five years, with the presence of an American nuclear-powered aircraft carrier.
Finally, the international situation has played a role since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, the Security Council is no longer in a position to condemn the firing of North Korean missiles because of Russia's veto.
From now on, one wonders about his will to soon conduct
his seventh nuclear test
, the preparations for which seem to have been completed for many months.
The last time North Korea fired a ballistic missile over Japan, a week later the country conducted its sixth nuclear test.
Washington, Seoul and Tokyo are preparing a “robust” response
The reactions were not long in coming.
This latest “
provocation
”, denounced South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol, “
clearly violates universal principles and United Nations standards, and he has ordered a firm response and [the taking] of appropriate measures in cooperation with the United States and the international community
,” the presidency said.
US National Security Advisor Jack Sullivan spoke separately with his South Korean and Japanese counterparts to craft an "
appropriate and robust international
" response , the White House said.
In a separate statement, the US Asia-Pacific Command condemned the launch, saying
Washington's "commitments to the defense of Japan and Korea remain unwavering
."
"
The United States condemns these actions and calls on the DPRK to refrain from any further illegal and destabilizing acts
," he said in a statement, using the official abbreviation for North Korea.
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Japan
North Korea
Defense
Yoon Suk-yeol