The Japanese government believes it is a ballistic missile but it “appears to have failed” in its mission
Japanese authorities issued a warning and evacuation order for residents to protect themselves after a missile was launched from North Korea, according to Japanese news agency Kyodo. But the Japanese government said the projectile had disappeared from radar screens and “appeared to have failed” in its mission.
According to the same source, the Japanese government believes it is a ballistic missile, but it should not be heading towards Japanese territory. However, the executive branch decided to lift the emergency notice for Okinawa Prefecture, according to Reuters.
The missile launch comes hours after Pyongyang warned that it would launch a satellite before June 4, ahead of a summit between Japan, China and South Korea, putting the region on high alert.
In the notification issued this morning, North Korea designated three maritime areas as potential risk areas for falling debris from the missile needed to launch the device: two west of the Korean Peninsula and one east of the Philippine island of Luzon, according to the data received. By the Japanese Coast Guard.
The three sites coincide with areas designated by the North Korean regime for launches last year. North Korea has promised to launch three more spy satellites this year, after launching the first into orbit in November last year and two failed attempts earlier this year.
