North Korea fires ballistic missile over Japan for first time in 5 years

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North Korea fires ballistic missile over Japan for first time in 5 years

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida speaks to reporters at the prime minister's office on October 4. Asahi Shimbun SEOUL TOKYO North Korea fired a ballistic missile over Japan for the first time in five years, prompting a warning for residents to take cover and a temporary suspension of train operations in northern Japan.

South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff, JCS, and the Japanese coast guard reported on the missile test, which was launched over North Korea's east coast.

The Japanese government warned citizens to take cover as the missile appeared to have flown over and past its territory before falling into the Pacific Ocean. It did not use any defense measures to destroy the missile, which was the first to fly over or past Japan from North Korea since 2017.

North Korea's repeated ballistic missile launches threatens the peace and security of Japan, the region, and the international community, and poses a serious challenge to Japan, Japan's top government spokesperson, Hirokazu Matsuno, said in a brief news conference.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida called North Korea's actions barbaric, and said that the government would continue to gather and analyze information.

South Korea's JCS said it appeared to have been an intermediate-range ballistic missile IRBM launched from North Korea's Jagang Province. North Korea has used the province to launch several recent tests, including multiple missiles that it claimed were hypersonic. TV Asahi, citing an unnamed government source, said North Korea might have fired an intercontinental ballistic missile ICBM and it fell into the sea some 3,000 km from Japan.

South Korea staged its own show of advanced weaponry on Saturday to mark its Armed Forces Day, including multiple rocket launchers, ballistic missiles, main battle tanks, drones and F-35 fighters.

The test caused East Japan Railway Co. to suspend its train operations in the northern regions, Japanese broadcaster NHK reported.

The North has completed preparations for a nuclear test that it might undertake sometime between China's Communist Party Congress this month and the U.S. mid-term elections in November, South Korean lawmakers said last week.