TOKYO — North Korea fired a missile over Japan for the first time since 2017, prompting a rare public warning and further ratcheting up tensions over Kim Jong Un’s nuclear program.
The missile launched Tuesday appears to have splashed down in waters to the east of Japan, government spokesman Hirokazu Matsuno told a news briefing, adding there were no reports of damage. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida condemned the launch.
North Korea fired what appeared to be an intermediate-range ballistic missile at 7:23 a.m. local time from Jagang province that flew over Japan, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said. It would be the longest-range missile North Korea has launched since May and it comes after Pyongyang in late September fired off one of its biggest barrages of missiles in a week under Kim.
