North Korea fires ballistic missile over Japan

SEOUL: North Korea has fired a suspected intermediate-range ballistic missile over part of northern Japan, BBC reported.

It prompted a warning from the Japanese government for people on the island of Hokkaido to take cover during its flight, and the temporary suspension of some train operations, the report said.

It is the first North Korean missile launch over Japan since 2017, according to BBC.

The UN prohibits North Korea from ballistic and nuclear weapons tests.

“North Korea appears to have launched a missile. Please evacuate into buildings or underground,” the Japanese government said in a rare alert issued at 07:29 local time on Tuesday (22:29 GMT Monday).

Officials said the missile fell into the Pacific Ocean about 3,000 km (1,860 miles) from Japan, and that no injuries had been reported in connection with it, according to the report.

Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida strongly condemned the actions, describing the launch as “violent behaviour”, and the Japanese government has called a meeting of its National Security Council.

The launch appears to be a deliberate escalation designed to get the attention of Japan and the US, who have largely been ignoring North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-un.

It is in complete contravention of international norms to fly missiles towards or over other countries without any pre-warning or consultation.

Most countries avoid doing it completely as it can easily be mistaken for an attack, and while it is not as a big as a nuclear test – which could be next – it is nevertheless hugely provocative.  –Inputs from BBC