Japan: "No Emergency Confirmed for North Korea's Ballistic Missile"... Seems to Have Failed (Comprehensive Report 2)

[Asia Economy Reporter Cho Hyun-ui] The Japanese government announced that "at this point, no ballistic missile launch has been confirmed" in response to domestic media reports that North Korea launched an object possibly identified as a ballistic missile on the morning of the 16th.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno stated this during a press conference on the morning of the same day in response to related inquiries.

Secretary Matsuno said, "We will closely cooperate with the United States, South Korea, and others regarding North Korea's military movements, and devote all efforts to necessary information gathering, analysis, vigilance, and surveillance. We will also closely monitor any actions North Korea may take."

Earlier, NHK reported, citing a source from the Japanese Ministry of Defense, that there was information about an object possibly identified as a ballistic missile being launched from North Korea on the morning of the same day.

According to the Japanese government, no damage to local vessels or aircraft has been confirmed. In this regard, the Yomiuri Shimbun, citing a Japanese government official, estimated that North Korea's launch failed, stating, "The launch (of North Korea's missile) was detected, but the missile's flight was not confirmed."

South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff also announced that North Korea launched an unidentified object around 9:30 a.m. near Sunan, Pyongyang, on the same day, but it is presumed to have failed immediately after launch. South Korean and U.S. intelligence authorities are currently conducting further analysis.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.