A ballistic missile was fired by North Korea over Japan for the first time in five years on Tuesday, prompting a warning for residents to take cover and a temporary suspension of train operations in northern Japan.
Before the missile fell into the Pacific Ocean and passed its territory, the Japanese government warned citizens to take cover.
According to Reuters report, it was the first North Korean missile to follow such a trajectory since 2017, and Tokyo said its 4,600 km (2,850 miles) range may have been the longest distance traveled for a North Korean test flight.
It was the fifth launch for Pyongyang in the last 10 days.
A trilateral anti-submarine exercise was conducted by the three countries last week that included a US aircraft carrier that stopped in South Korea for the first time since 2017.
Meanwhile, the United States “strongly condemned” North Korea’s “dangerous and reckless” decision to launch a long-range ballistic missile over Japan.
“This action is destabilizing and shows the DPRK’s blatant disregard for United Nations Security Council resolutions and international safety norms,” US National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said in a statement as quoted by Reuters.
