Voice of America
04 Oct 2022, 15:35 GMT+10
seoul, south korea - North Korea has fired an unidentified ballistic missile over Japan, in an escalation not seen in years, prompting Tokyo to evacuate some residents in the northern prefectures of Hokkaido and Aomori on Tuesday morning.
Hirokazu Matsuno, Japan's chief Cabinet secretary, told reporters the missile was launched at 7:22 a.m., before splashing into the Pacific Ocean outside Japan's exclusive economic zone 22 minutes later.
South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) called the projectile an intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM), launched from North Korea's northern Jagang area, flying a distance of 4,500 kilometers with a flight altitude of 970 kilometers.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who marks his one-year anniversary as head of state on Tuesday, strongly condemned the missile launch, calling it an "outrageous" act.
Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada later added the missile flew over Japan for about one minute, soaring further than previous intermediate-range missiles, estimated at 4,600 kilometers, before landing in waters some 3,200 kilometers east of Japan.
That the missile was shot over Japanese territory takes the escalatory mood in the region even higher, a decision Adrienne Watson, the U.S. National Security Council spokesperson, in a statement. described as "dangerous and reckless" and shows North Korea's "blatant disregard for United Nations Security Council resolutions and international safety norms" on Tuesday.
Testing
North Korea had last tested a Hwasong-12 IRBM in late January of this year, after which its state media explained its lofted trajectory as intentional, done "in consideration of the security of neighboring countries" - in apparent reference to Japan. That missile was estimated to have a range capable of putting Guam within reach.
The latest ballistic missile launch is likely to exceed that range. Some 3,400 kilometers separates Pyongyang and Guam, which houses a U.S. strategic naval base.
Hwasong-12 IRBMs were also tested in August and September of 2017, when Japan last issued a call to shelter after missiles flew over Hokkaido.
Tensions have been on the rise on the Korean peninsula in recent days, with Tuesday's launch upping the ante from the short-range ballistic missiles Pyongyang had fired on September 25, 28, 29 and October 1. The fifth test in 10 days follows a major joint naval exercise between the U.S. and South Korea featuring the nuclear-powered USS Ronald Reagan supercarrier, which resumed for the first time in five years.
A trilateral anti-submarine military exercise with Japan was also conducted for the first time since 2017 off South Korea's coast.
Possible return to nuclear testing
A return to nuclear testing also remains a strong possibility. South Korea's spy agency last week told lawmakers a seventh nuclear test, should it materialize, would most likely fall between October 16 - the first day of China's National Congress of the Communist Party - and November 8, the U.S. midterm elections.
At an Armed Forces Day ceremony on Saturday, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol warned North Korea against any nuclear provocations, saying a "resolute and overwhelming" response would be ready from the allies should it decide to use nuclear weapons.
Get a daily dose of Scandinavia Times news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Scandinavia Times.
More InformationDUBLIN, Ireland: TikTok has been hit with a 530 million euros (US$601.3 million) fine by Ireland's Data Protection Commission (DPC)...
BRUSSELS, Belgium: Tesla's sales in Europe nosedived in April, with sharp drops across multiple countries, including an 81 percent...
DUBLIN, Ireland: April 2025 marked the third-warmest April in Ireland since records began in 1900, according to Met Eireann, which...
DUBLIN, Ireland - Two men have been charged and appeared before the Criminal Courts of Justice in Dublin on Monday following Friday's...
TEL AVIV, Israel - Lieutenant General Ingo Gerhartz, Chief of the German Air Force, visited Israel this week in his final official...
DUBLIN, Ireland: Ryanair has issued a sharp warning: if U.S. tariffs under President Donald Trump's trade policies raise the cost of...
Pope Leo XIV, has spoken publicly for the first time since his election as Pope to succeed Pope Francis who died on Easter Monday....
The EU on Wednesday called on India and Pakistan to take immediate steps' to de-escalate after India fired missiles into Pakistani-administered...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: President Donald Trump's administration is planning to cut many jobs at the CIA and other U.S. spy agencies, according...
BOISE, Idaho: Seven people died, and eight were hurt when a van carrying tourists crashed into a pickup truck and caught fire near...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: The U.S. State Department has approved a potential US$3.5 billion arms sale to Saudi Arabia, including AIM-120C-8...
GAZA STRIP - From Tuesday night to dawn on Wednesday, Israel Air Force pilots were responsible for the ending of at least forty-nine...