North Korea launches missile against Japan, causing trains to be stopped and triggering a warning message

Japan’s government advised citizens to get cover because the missile was appearing to have passed its territory and then crashed into the Pacific Ocean.

On October 4, nuclear-armed North Korea launched a ballistic missile at Japan, for the first time since 2005. This prompted residents to run for cover and temporarily suspended train operations in northern Japan.

The Japanese government advised citizens to get cover because the missile was appearing to have passed its territory and then fell into the Pacific Ocean.

It was the North Korean missile’s first attempt to follow a similar trajectory since 2017. Tokyo also said that its 4,600km (2,850 miles), range may have been the longest for a North Korean test flight. These tests are often more “lofted” into space in order to avoid flying over neighboring countries.

The latest launch was Pyongyang’s fifth in ten days amid military muscle-flexing from the United States and South Korea. The three countries held trilateral anti-submarine drills last week that featured a U.S. air carrier. It stopped in South Korea for its first time since 2017.

Washington has been unable to respond to recent tests. While Washington is focusing on the war in Ukraine and other foreign crises, the U.S. military has increased its force presence in the region.

Tokyo stated that it did not take any steps to shoot down the missile. Japan’s Defence Minister Yasukazu Hayada stated that Japan would not rule out counterattack capabilities as it seeks to improve its defenses against repeated missile launches by North Korea. South Korea stated that it will increase its military capabilities and strengthen allied cooperation.

Hirokazu Matsuno (Japan’s top government spokesperson) stated that North Korea’s actions, which include repeated missile launches, “threaten the peace and security in Japan, the region and the international community and pose a serious threat to the whole international community, including Japan.”