13.04.2023
South Korea reported that the missile was launched from the vicinity of Pyongyang and that it traveled about 1,000 kilometers.
Tokyo confirmed that the unidentified ballistic missile launched early on Thursday (13.04.2023) by North Korea towards the sea of Japan fell outside its territory and the waters of its exclusive economic space (EEZ).
“We believe that they have launched at least one missile with the possibility of being an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). We have confirmed that it has not landed on the territory of our country or in the EEZ area,” the Japanese defense minister said. Yasukazu Hamada, at a press conference.
The Japanese Prime Minister, Fumio Kishida, also confirmed this launch and said that it had fallen out of its waters and called a security meeting with several of his ministers to investigate what happened.
The launch of this Thursday was confirmed by the Army of South Koreaand led the authorities on the Japanese island of Hokkaido to temporarily activate the alert given the possibility that the projectile would impact near it.
Projectile traveled about 1,000 kilometers
The South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) indicated in a statement that the missile fell into the Sea of Japan (called the East Sea in the two Koreas) after traveling about 1,000 kilometers and being launched at a very wide angle, so there would be no flown over the Japanese island of Hokkaido, as initially thought.
Shortly before, the JCS had indicated that it detected “a medium or superior range ballistic missile launched into the East Sea from the vicinity of Pyongyang around 7.23 (00.23 CET) today April 13″.
The Japanese authorities updated this alert at around 08:20 (01:20 CET on Wednesday) noting that there was no longer a possibility that the missile would fall on the island of Hokkaido or in its vicinity.
Previously, the company that operates the railway lines in that prefecture, JR Hokkaido, suspended all its operations shortly before 8 a.m. local time while the Japanese Ministry of Transportation alerted ships and planes circulating in the area about the possible impact. of the missile.
The Japanese Coast Guard indicated in turn that it expected the impact in the waters around Hokkaido from 8:00 a.m. (23:00 GMT on Wednesday), and later, at 8:19 a.m., indicated that it would have already fallen into the sea at an undetermined point.
In the last month, Pyongyang has responded to the great spring maneuvers in Seoul and Washington -in which Tokyo has also occasionally participated- with various weapons tests, including those of a new nuclear-capable guided drone or torpedo.
jc (afp, efe, Archyde.com)