Japan protests North Korea over ICBM launch

TOKYO, March 16 – RIA Novosti. Japan’s Ministry of Defense said that Japan strongly protests North Korea and strongly criticizes its intercontinental ballistic missile launch.

Japan’s Ministry of Defense also said that until this hour, no information was recorded about damage to Japanese air and naval vessels. Analysis and collection of information is ongoing. The agency said that Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida had ordered to ensure the safety of ships and aircraft, as well as be on high alert for unforeseen circumstances. Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada has ordered cooperation with the United States and other countries in the collection and analysis of information.

North Korea launched an intercontinental ballistic missile in an easterly direction from the outskirts of Pyongyang at 7.09 am (01:09 Moscow time), the Japanese Ministry of Defense previously reported. The rocket flew for about 70 minutes, and at 8.19 (2.19 Moscow time), it crashed 200 kilometers on the island of Oshima in Hokkaido, probably outside the exclusive economic zone of Japan. According to the Japanese army, the flight range was 1,000 kilometers, the maximum flight altitude was 6,000 kilometers.

In connection with the launch of the ICBM, the Prime Minister of Japan announced that a meeting of the national security council will be held with the participation of key ministers.

Earlier it was reported that the missile was fired along a hinged trajectory, possibly at a large vertical angle. Therefore, the flight altitude increases and the range decreases.

This is the sixth launch of a North Korean ballistic missile this year. In the past, it has performed 37 such launches.

North Korea launched the Hwaseong-15 intercontinental ballistic missile on February 18. The rocket was launched along a hinged trajectory, that is, at a vertical angle, reached an altitude of 5768 kilometers, flew 989 kilometers in 4015 seconds and crashed into the Sea of ​​u200bu200bJapan. North Korea described the launch as a “sudden exercise”. This is believed to be the first time Pyongyang has ordered its military to launch a North Korean ICBM without preparation or warning.