Japan issues rare emergency alert in northeastern regions as North Korea fires missile

Japan issued a rare emergency alert in northeastern regions on Tuesday after North Korea fired an intermediate-range ballistic missile over the country for the first time in five years. The Japanese prime minister’s office said at least one missile fired from North Korea flew over Japan and was believed to have landed in the Pacific Ocean. In a series of Twitter posts, Japanese authorities alerted residents in northeastern regions to evacuate to shelters. Notably, this was the first time since 2017 when North fired a Hwasong-12 missile over Japan in its previous provocative run of weapons tests.

Japan issues alert  

The Japanese authorities also were quick to suspend train and other public services in the Hokkaido and Aomori regions in order to alter any untoward incident. According to the experts familiar with the recent developments, Tuesday's action from the North was the most significant missile test since January, when it fired an Hwasong-12 intermediate-range missile capable of reaching the US territory of Guam. 

Meanwhile, while addressing a press conference on Tuesday, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida condemned the "reckless" act and added he would convene the National Security Council to discuss the situation. Furthermore, Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno asserted no damage was immediately reported that landed in waters outside the country’s exclusive economic zone.

Japan to revisit its National Defense Program as threats from North Korea soar

It is worth mentioning Japan has been mulling changing its national defence policy ever since North Korea started bolstering its nuclear arsenal despite continuous warnings from the US defence ministry. It has test-fired about 40 missiles over about 20 different launch events this year as its leader Kim Jong Un vows to expand his nuclear arsenal and refuses to return to nuclear diplomacy with the United States. Earlier on January 11, when North Korea's supreme leader Kim Jong-un fired the second blastic missile, the Japanese Prime Minister directed the concerned officials to strengthen monitoring of North Korea's military activities. He also directed the ministers and administrators to make the utmost steps to gather details on the blastoff while ensuring the safety of planes and vessels in and around Japan. Kishida also ordered to prepare their resources to avert an emergency-like situation, reported Kyodo News.

Image: AP