A ballistic missile fired Saturday by North Korea was apparently an ICBM intercontinental missile that crashed in Japan’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), the Japanese government said.
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“It appears that the ballistic missile fired by North Korea fell in Japan’s EEZ, west of Hokkaido,” Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told reporters.
Government spokesman Hirokazu Matsuno later clarified that it appeared to be an ICBM-class intercontinental ballistic missile that flew for about 66 minutes.
He said the projectile traveled a distance of about 900 km, reached a maximum altitude of 5,700 km, and appeared to have fallen at 6:27 p.m. Japanese time (0927 GMT).
Mr. Matsuno replied in the affirmative when a journalist asked if the missile had followed a “lofted” trajectory and explained that the possibility that it was a solid fuel missile would be analyzed.
“This series of actions by North Korea threatens the peace and stability of Japan and the international community, and is absolutely unforgivable,” Matsuno added.
He said Japan protested “through diplomatic channels.”
Tokyo “will respond by coordinating closely with the international community, including the United States and South Korea, through the ongoing G7 foreign ministers’ meeting and the United Nations Security Council,” it said. said Mr. Matsuno again.
Japanese Deputy Defense Minister Toshiro Ino previously said the missile was expected to land about 200 km west of Oshima Island, off the northern island of Hokkaido, around 6 p.m. 27 Japanese time (09:27 GMT).
Mr. Kishida explained that he “instructed (Japanese officials) to inform the population and check the security situation thoroughly”.
“This is an escalation of provocations against the international community as a whole and, naturally, we protested harshly,” he added.
Last November, another missile fired by Pyongyang in a series of launches of unprecedented intensity also reportedly fell into Japan’s EEZ.
The Japanese EEZ extends up to 200 nautical miles (370 kilometers) from its coasts.