The tense situation with North Korea has ramped up even further this morning, with reports confirmed that the rogue state launching three test missiles, one of which flew over Japan.
Japanese public broadcaster NHK reported that one of the three ballistic missiles launched by the DPRK flew over the northern island of Hokkaido, prompting the Japanese Government to issue warnings for residents in some prefectures to take cover.
NHK reported that the missiles were launched at 5:58am Japan time, with one flying over Hokkaido at 6:06am – a mere 8 minutes later. South Korean military officials also confirmed that the missile had passed over Japanese air space.
The missile reportedly flew some 1,244 kilometres, landing in the Pacific Ocean east of Hokkaido’s Cape Erimo.
Pyongyang officials had previously threatened to fire a missile over Japan towards the US territory of Guam. This latest round of missile tests brings the total ordered by Kim Jong-un this year to 18, amid growing tensions between the DPRK and the US, spurred on by continued joint-operations between the US and South Korea, which North Korea insists is preparation for an invasion.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who was clearly agitated while speaking to media, stated that the country would “make the utmost effort to protect the public.”
The US has yet to officially comment on this latest show of aggression from North Korea, but given Donald Trump’s last “fire and fury” quote, you can only imagine that’s a mere matter of time.
