North Korea fired a ballistic missile on Saturday, February 18, which apparently fell inside Japan's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).

Japanese authorities claimed that it was an "ICBM-class" intercontinental missile (intercontinental ballistic missiles).

"It appears that the ballistic missile fired by North Korea fell in Japan's EEZ, west of Hokkaido," Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told reporters. 

Japanese government spokesman Hirokazu Matsuno later clarified that it appeared to be an ICBM-class intercontinental ballistic missile that flew for about 66 minutes.

The projectile would have, according to him, traveled a distance of approximately 900 km, reached a maximum altitude of 5,700 km, and appeared to have fallen at 6:27 p.m. Japanese time, or 9:27 a.m. in universal time.

An action that "threatens the peace"

The government spokesman answered in the affirmative when asked by a journalist whether the missile had followed a "lofted" trajectory.

Hirokazu Matsuno explained that the possibility that it is a solid fuel missile would be analyzed.

"This series of actions by North Korea threatens the peace and stability of Japan and the international community, and is absolutely unforgivable," Hirokazu Matsuno added, adding that Japan protested "through diplomatic channels."

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Tokyo "will respond by coordinating closely with the international community, including the United States and South Korea, through the ongoing G7 foreign ministers' meeting and the United Nations Security Council," it said. again said the spokesman for the Japanese government.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida explained that he had "instructed (Japanese officials) to inform the population and carefully check the security situation".

"This is an escalation of provocations against the international community as a whole and, naturally, we protested harshly," he added.

Last November, another missile fired by Pyongyang in a series of launches of unprecedented intensity, also reportedly fell into Japan's EEZ, an area that extends up to 370 kilometers from its coast.

With AFP

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