A day after firing at least 23 missiles, the Japanese government said North Korea fired another round of ballistic missiles on Thursday.
Tokyo,UPDATED: November 3, 2022 05:56 AM IST
Emergency Broadcasting System announces firing of ballistic missiles. (Reuters photo)
By Reuters: North Korea fired multiple ballistic missiles on Thursday, including one that triggered a warning for residents in parts of central and northern Japan to seek shelter, the latest in a record year of missile tests by the nuclear-armed north.
The launch came a day after North Korea fired at least 23 missiles, most of them in a single day, including one that landed for the first time off the coast of South Korea.
According to the J-Alert Emergency Broadcasting System, residents of Miyagi, Yamagata and Niigata prefectures in central Japan were warned to take shelter inside.
The warning said a missile had flown over and past Japan. The Japanese Ministry of Defense later said the missile did not fly over Japanese territory.
About 25 minutes after the launch was first reported, the Japanese Coast Guard said the missile had fallen. It landed in the Pacific Ocean — 1,100 kilometers (680 miles) east of Japan, broadcaster FNN reported, citing government sources.
ALSO READ | North Korean missile lands for the first time off South Korea, South responds with launches of its own
The Yonhap news agency reported that the first missile went through phase separation, suggesting it may be a long-range weapon, such as an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).
About an hour after the initial launch, the South Korean military and the Japanese Coast Guard reported a second launch from North Korea. The Japanese Coast Guard then reported a third possible launch.
After North Korea fired at least 23 missiles into the sea on Wednesday, including those that landed less than 60 km (40 mi) off the coast of South Korea, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol described the launches as “territorial encroachment.” and Washington denounced them as “reckless”.
South Korea issued rare airstrike warnings and launched its own missiles in response to Wednesday’s barrage.
The launches came after Pyongyang demanded the United States and South Korea stop large-scale military exercises, saying such “military indiscretion and provocation can no longer be tolerated”.
The Allies conducted one of the largest air exercises ever, with hundreds of South Korean and US warplanes, including F-35 fighters, conducting simulated missions 24 hours a day.
On October 4, North Korea launched a ballistic missile over Japan for the first time in five years, warning residents of the country to take cover. It was the furthest North Korea had ever fired a missile.
ALSO READ | North Korea threatens US with ‘strong follow-up measures’ after joint military exercises