Japan: "North Korea Launches Suspected Ballistic Missile... Passed Over Pacific Around 4 AM"

On the 24th (local time), the first day North Korea announced the so-called 'satellite' launch, it reportedly fired a projectile presumed to be a ballistic missile, according to Kyodo News and Nihon Keizai Shimbun citing the Japanese government.

According to reports, the Japanese government announced around 3:54 a.m. that North Korea had launched a suspected ballistic missile and issued an alert system. An evacuation warning was also issued for residents of Okinawa Prefecture. Subsequently, around 4 a.m., the Japanese government lifted the alert, stating that the projectile appeared to have passed over the Pacific Ocean. No additional measures were taken in response to the projectile.

Earlier, North Korea notified Japan that it would launch a satellite between 12:00 a.m. on the 24th and 12:00 a.m. on the 31st. Japan has been monitoring the situation, judging that if North Korea follows through on its announcement, the projectile could pass over Okinawa Prefecture or fall into nearby waters around Japan.

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