People in northern Japan woke up to the noise of sirens and text alerts which read: "North Korea appears to have launched a missile. Please evacuate into buildings or underground.".The missile travelled 4,500 km before falling into the Pacific Ocean — far enough to hit the US island of Guam if it took another trajectory and the longest distance ever by a North Korean missile, according to media reports..It also reached a height of around 1,000 km — higher than the International Space Station..According to BBC News, it appears to be a deliberate escalation by rogue North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to get the attention of Tokyo and Washington..It is the first North Korean missile launch over Japan since 2017..The UN prohibits North Korea from testing ballistic and nuclear weapons. Flying missiles towards or over other countries without any pre-warning or consultation also contravenes international norms..People in the north of Japan, including Hokkaido island and Aomori city, were warned to look out for falling debris. Many appeared to remain calm according to reports, but others were more shaken.."If a missile hit, I was worried it would be a big problem not only here, but also nationwide," Aomori resident Kazuko Ebina told the Asahi Shimbun..US and South Korea forces responded with joint bombing drills — a South Korean F-15K fighter jet firing at a mock target on an uninhabited island in the Yellow Sea..The US sent four F-16 fighter jets to participate in the drills..Kim Seung-kyum, head of South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Paul LaCamera, the United States Forces Korea commander, held a meeting after the launch and reaffirmed the combined defense posture will be further strengthened against any threats and provocations from North Korea, the JCS said..Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida described the launch as "violent behaviour," while Defence Minister Yasukazu Hamada said Japan would not rule out any options to strengthen its defences, including "counterattack capabilities.".The US state department said the “reckless and dangerous launch” posed “an unacceptable threat to the Japanese public.”. Kim Jong-unKim Jong-un .There were no reports of damage to aircraft or vessels near the missile trajectory, according to Japanese authorities, but the unannounced missile triggered a rare J-alert, a system designed to inform the public of emergencies and threats in Japan, CNN reported..In such emergencies, alerts are sent out via sirens, through community radio stations and to individual smartphone users..On Tuesday, alerts were sent out at around 7:30 a.m. local time to people in Aomori prefecture, Hokkaido and Tokyo’s Izu and Ogasawara islands..South Korea said it appeared to have been an intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) launched from North Korea's Jagang Province..The launch comes as Japan, the US and South Korea have been working together to strengthen their defences, in response to the growing threat posed by the North..Last week, the three countries conducted naval exercises together for the first time since 2017. Such drills have long antagonized Kim Jong-un, who claims his enemies are preparing for war..Meanwhile, recent intelligence suggests North Korea is getting ready to test another nuclear weapon..It is expected that North Korea would wait until after China — its main ally — holds its Communist party congress later this month..But some experts are now saying it could come sooner than expected — they believe Tuesday's launch shows North Korea is preparing the ground for a nuclear test..The missile launch is the fifth carried out by Pyongyang in a week. On Saturday, two rockets came down in waters outside Japan's exclusive economic zone.. Missile test visualization.Missile test visualization. .Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul, said firing a weapon over Japan represented a “significant escalation” of recent provocations..“Diplomacy isn’t dead, but talks aren’t about to resume either,” Easley said. “Pyongyang is still in the middle of a provocation and testing cycle and is likely waiting until after China’s mid-October Communist Party Congress to conduct an even more significant test.”.The tests also come as international attention remains firmly focused on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine — and as both Moscow and Beijing appear reluctant to side with the West to further censure Pyongyang..In May, Russia and China vetoed a US-drafted United Nations Security Council resolution to strengthen sanctions on North Korea for its weapons testing in a vote the US said was likely to fuel Pyongyang’s program to develop nuclear-capable missile systems.
