Japanese officials said they believed the ballistic missile fired from North Korea’s western coast landed in Japan’s exclusive economic zone.
Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told reporters the missile was fired around 9:40 a.m. Tuesday (in Japan) and flew for 40 minutes before landing in the Sea of Japan in waters where Japan claims economic rights.
Suga said no damage to aircraft or ships was reported, but Japanese media said ships were cautioned about potential falling objects.
This latest ballistic missile launch is part of a string of recent test-firings as the North works to build a nuclear-tipped missile that could reach the United States.
Some Japanese leaders have been pushing to build a military with first-strike capability, contrary to the country’s post-WWII pacifist constitution.
"(But) any weapon Japan acquired with the reach to hit North Korea would also put parts of China's eastern seaboard within range of Japanese munitions for the first time. That would likely anger Beijing, which is strongly protesting the deployment of the advanced U.S. Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) anti-missile system in South Korea," Reuters reported in March.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
About the Author