N.Korea fires missile over Japan, residents warned to take cover

North Korea has fired a ballistic missile over Japan for the first time since 2017, officials in Tokyo have claimed. The reported incident follows a flurry of similar launches in recent months.

Japanese and South Korean officials confirmed the launch on Tuesday morning, saying the projectile was fired from North Korea’s Chagang Province and flew over a portion of Aomori Prefecture in Japan’s north. 

“A short while ago, North Korea launched a ballistic missile that flew over Japan and is believed to have landed in the Pacific Ocean,” Prime Minister Fumio Kashida’s office said in a statement, adding “This is an outrageous act following the recent repeated ballistic missile launches, and I strongly condemn it.”

The PM’s office later confirmed that the missile landed in the sea outside Japan’s Exclusive Economic Zone, and went on to accuse North Korea of violating United Nations resolutions with its 20 missile tests so far in 2022 – the largest number since leader Kim Jong-un took power in 2011.

Soon after Tuesday’s launch was detected, Japanese officials urged residents on the country’s northernmost island, Hokkaido, as well as in Aomori Prefecture, to find shelter indoors, and to “not approach anything suspicious that is found and to immediately contact the police or fire department.   
RT.com, 4 Oct, 2022