North Korea fired a ballistic missile on Thursday (April 13th), which triggered an alert in the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido, whose inhabitants were asked to take shelter.
“Evacuate immediately. Evacuate immediately »ordered the Japanese government in a message, asking residents of Hokkaido to take shelter in buildings or underground, and specifying that the missile should fall around 8 am (1 am in France).
Shrill sirens sounded in Sapporo and cities on the island of Hokkaido in northern Japan. The Japanese coast guard and local officials in Hokkaido, however, said soon after that there was no danger. “After confirming the information, there is no possibility that the missile will fall on Hokkaido or nearby areas”said the city hall of Asahikawa City, Hokkaido, citing the national government’s emergency network
The Japanese coast guard indicated for their part that the fall of the projectile on the territory of Japan “no longer a possibility”. The Japanese public media, NHKalso claimed that the projectile had probably already ended its course in the waters of the Sea of Japan, outside Japanese territory.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s office had issued an alert on Twitter: “North Korea launched what appears to be a ballistic missile”.
[Emergency alert]
North Korea has launched a suspected ballistic missile. More updates to follow.
South Korea’s Yonhap news agency, citing Seoul’s military, earlier reported that North Korea launched an undetermined ballistic missile towards the Sea of Japan.
“Irreversible” nuclear power
North Korea has stepped up weapons tests in recent months, heightening tension with Seoul and Washington, which for their part have strengthened their military cooperation and carried out major joint maneuvers in the region.
On Monday, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un called for increasing his country’s deterrence capabilities to counter “the escalation of the maneuvers of the American imperialists and traitors, South Korean puppets to start a war of aggression”according to the official KCNA news agency.
Since March 23, Pyongyang has notably claimed to have carried out three tests of an underwater nuclear attack drone capable of “to produce a large-scale radioactive tsunami”.
The regime also said it launched an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) on March 16.
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In 2022, North Korea declared itself a nuclear power. “irreversible”thus burying any negotiation on the denuclearization of the country.