North Korea missile launch sparks confusion in Japan

Amissile launch by North Korea sparked confusion in northern Japan, where an evacuation order was issued and then retracted within 30 minutes.

Sirens blared across Hokkaido and residents were told to “evacuate immediately” on Thursday morning.

Authorities later said the missile did not land near the island and withdrew the alert.

Tensions have been growing in the region, as North Korea has already fired 27 missiles this year.

The projectile flew about 1,000 km (620 miles), in what South Korea’s military called a “grave provocation”.

The missile is believed to be of medium or longer-range, but details on which weapon was tested on Thursday morning have not yet been made public.

Meanwhile, Japanese coastguards said the missile had splashed into waters to the east of North Korea. Mr Hamada said he could not confirm whether the missile flew over Japan’s exclusive economic zone.

Schools in Hokkaido delayed their start times and some train services were suspended, Japanese broadcaster NHK reported.

Japan’s Foreign Minister

Yoshimasa Hayashi said Pyongyang’s repeated missile launches pose a “grave and imminent threat” to Japan’s security.

US National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said the latest launch “needlessly raises tensions and risks destabilising the security situation in the region”.

This latest launch came days after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un ordered his military to adopt a “more practical and offensive” manner in war deterrence, as reported by its state media agency KCNA.

For the past week, North Korea has not been answering twicedaily phone calls from South Korea, which has concerned the government in Seoul.

The two Koreas typically exchange calls at 09:00 and 15:00 local time (00:00 and 06:00 GMT) via a military hotline - these daily check-ins are intended to prevent clashes along the countries’ border.

Earlier this week, South Korea’s Unification Minister Kwon Youngse described the North’s suspension of communication as “unilateral and irresponsible”.

“Pyongyang’s provocations continue past its protest of US-

South Korea defence exercises because Kim Jong-un hasn’t finished demonstrating his nuclear delivery capabilities yet,” said LeifEric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul,

“However, with the North Koreans literally not answering the phone, the lack of hotlines and diplomacy increases the risk of unintended escalation,” he said.

This is an important week for North Korea as it celebrates Mr Kim’s 11th year in powerthe country tends to mark these anniversaries with displays of military progress.

Sourdce; BBC