North Korea's ballistic missile launch ended up confusing northern Japan. The warning system ordered residents to evacuate, but it turned out to be an "erroneous" alert in the first place.
The latest missile launch comes shortly after the Supreme Leader of North Korea, Kim Jong Un, ordered the military in the country to carry out more "practical" and "offensive" war deterrence strategies. The political figure seeks to counter the aggression of South Korea and its ally, the United States.
North Korea Missile Launch Sparks Confusion in Japan
According to the BBC, officials in Japan warned residents in Hokkaido, asking them to "evacuate immediately" amid the ballistic missile launch by its neighboring country, North Korea. Folks in the area heard loud sirens, alerting them to vacate their residences immediately.
The Guardian notes that the emergency broadcasting system of Japan, aptly named J-Alert, asked millions of Hokkaido residents to take cover as North Korea fired one of its long-range missiles.
However, after half an hour or 30 minutes, the officials retracted the emergency evacuation warning after the sirens started blaring. It turned out to be a complete error. As the alert was lifted after several minutes, the system admitted the mishap, saying it was based on an "erroneous" prediction. It was initially thought that the missile from the test fire would land near Hokkaido.
The chief cabinet secretary of Japan, Hirokazu Matsuno, says, "The J-Alert warning was issued to inform citizens of the danger of a falling missile to prioritize citizens' safety." He adds that the North Korean missile initially showed up on their radar. But eventually, it vanished into thin air. After analyzing the situation, they realized there was no possible threat of the missile landing in the country. Because of this, the warning was lifted after half an hour.
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TOPSHOT - Pedestrians walk under a large video screen showing images of North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un during a news update in Tokyo on October 4, 2022, after North Korea launched a missile early in the day which prompted an evacuation alert when it flew over northeastern Japan.
Ballistic Missile Fired by North Korea
As per Reuters, South Korea reports that the recent launch by North Korea will likely be a test-fire of a next-generation ballistic missile. However, the details of the missile have yet to be confirmed. The weapon is believed to be between medium to long range.
The United States National Security Council spokesperson, Adrienne Watson, says the recent North Korean launch "needlessly raises tensions." She adds that it further "risks destabilizing the security situation in the region."
Although the recent launch did not land in the territory of Japan, the Foreign Minister of the country, Yoshimasa Hayashi, highlights that it is still a concern. He notes that these recent missile launches leave a "grave and imminent threat" to the security of the Japanese nation.
This week is somewhat monumental for North Korea as it celebrates the anniversary of Kim Jong Un's leadership. It has been 11 years since he took over after the late dictator Kim Jong-il died.
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