Japan Revises North Korea Missile Launch Count from at Least 6 to 8

Nobuo Kishi, Japanese Minister of Defense
Photo by AP Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Hyunjin] The Japanese government revised the number of missiles North Korea launched on the 5th from "at least 6" to "8" after five days.

According to NHK and other sources on the 10th, Nobuo Kishi, Japan's Defense Minister, said at a press conference that day, "In addition to the six ballistic missiles previously announced, two more ballistic missiles were launched, and it is believed that they flew at an extremely low altitude for a short time."

It is generally known that when missiles fly at a low altitude, it is difficult for Japan to detect them. At a press conference held one and a half hours after North Korea launched the missiles, Defense Minister Kishi said, "At least six missiles were launched," and added, "There is a possibility that missiles were launched in addition to the six."

At that time, the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff announced that eight short-range ballistic missiles (SRBMs) were launched, leading to remarks about discrepancies between the intelligence of the two countries. South Korea shares information on major military developments, including North Korea's missile launches, with Japan based on the General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA) between South Korea and Japan.

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