For the first time in five years, North Korea launched a ballistic missile over Japan on Tuesday. This prompted Japan to issue evacuation notices and cease train service during the launch of the nuclear-capable missile, which could have reached Guam in the US and beyond.
The launch marked North Korea’s most provocative weapon display this year as it intensifies missile tests in an effort to develop a complete nuclear arsenal that can legitimately threaten US allies and the US homeland.
High Alert in Japan
In the first “J-alert” since North Korea twice fired an intermediate-range Hwasong-12 missile over Japan in 2017, Japanese officials warned residents in northeastern regions to seek shelter.
In the Hokkaido and Aomori regions, trains were halted until the authorities announced later that the North Korean missile looked to have landed in the Pacific. The subway system in Sapporo City was also momentarily suspended, as morning commuters crammed the platforms.
In Misawa, Aomori Prefecture, Northern Japan on Tuesday, October 4, 2022, elementary school pupils seek cover near a building on their way to school shortly after learning of a North Korean missile launch. For the first time in five years, North Korea launched an intermediate-range ballistic missile over Japan on Tuesday. As a result, Japan was forced to issue evacuation alerts and cease train service throughout the missile’s flight, which was capable of reaching the U.S. territory of Guam.
The most recent firing, according to Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, “is a reckless act and I strongly condemn it.” Estimates from South Korea and Japan place the missile’s total distance at 4,500–4,600 km, with a top altitude of 970–1,000 km.
Reaction from The United States and South Korea
The firing of what it called a “long-range ballistic missile” over Japan was sharply condemned by the United States as being a “dangerous and reckless decision” by North Korea.
“This action is destabilizing and shows (North Korea’s) blatant disregard for United Nations Security Council resolutions and international safety norms,” it said.
Yoon Suk Yeol, the president of South Korea, had earlier stated that the missile had an intermediate range, while Yasukazu Hamada, the defense minister of Japan, had stated that it was thought to have an intermediate-range or longer.
The missile’s flight path indicated that it had the range to strike Guam in the US Pacific island, which is home to US military bases that have flown cutting-edge jets to the Korean Peninsula in previous confrontations with North Korea as a show of force. As a show of force against North Korea, the South Korean and American forces retaliated by launching fighter jets that fired weapons at a target off South Korea’s west coast.
With the launch on Tuesday, North Korea has conducted five weapons tests in the last ten days, seemingly in retaliation for military exercises between South Korea and the US as well as additional training sessions among allies, including Japan, last week.