N. Korea Fires Missile over Japan without Warning

Tokyo, Aug. 29 (Jiji Press)--North Korea launched a ballistic missile from the country's western coast over Japan early Tuesday morning without a warning, the Japanese government said. The missile is believed to have fallen into the Pacific Ocean some 1,180 kilometers east of Cape Erimo in Hokkaido after flying over the Oshima Peninsula in the northernmost prefecture. There has been no report of damage from the missile, according to government and other sources. The latest launch "poses an unprecedentedly serious and grave threat and undermines the regional peace and security significantly," Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told reporters at the prime minister's office. This is the first time that a North Korean missile has flown over the Japanese archipelago, excluding the southwestern islets, since the one fired in April 2009. The government lodged a strong protest against North Korea through a diplomatic channel. Abe said Japan tracked the missile perfectly from just after the firing and took all possible measures for the security of the country. "We'll do all we can to protect the safety and security of the Japanese people with a sense of tension so that we can deal with any situation," he stressed. Abe had a telephone conversation with U.S. President Donald Trump to discuss responses to the latest provocation by North Korea. In the 40-minute talks, the two leaders agreed to strengthen pressure on North Korea. Trump told Abe that the United States fully stands with Japan. Japan, the United States and South Korea asked the U.N. Security Council to hold an emergency meeting. At a hastily called news conference early in the morning, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said the missile was fired at 5:58 a.m. Japan time (8:58 p.m. Monday GMT). The missile is believed to have flown over Cape Erimo around 6:06 a.m. and fallen into waters in the Pacific Ocean around 6:12 a.m., according to Suga. The missile may have split into three parts above the Sea of Japan, he said. Suga explained the missile did not drop in Japanese territory and that there has been no report of damage on Japanese aircraft or ships. The Self-Defense Forces did not intercept the missile. According to the South Korean military, the missile is projected to have traveled some 2,700 kilometers and reached an altitude of about 550 kilometers. In connection with this, Japanese Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera said the missile was not launched on a lofted trajectory. Pyongyang did not inform Tokyo of its missile firing in advance, he added. He also said that the projectile may be a new middle-range ballistic missile. Soon after receiving information of the missile launch, the government warned the public through municipalities by utilizing its J-Alert early warning system. At a meeting of the National Security Council at the prime minister's office, Abe instructed relevant government agencies to provide information promptly to the public and take all possible measures to prepare for any contingency. The prime minister also called for stronger efforts to gather and analyze information about North Korea's moves. This is the fifth time that a North Korean ballistic missile has flown over any part of Japan, including the southwestern islands. Of the previous four cases, the first one, which happened in August 1998, was the only case in which the launch was conducted fully without a warning. END