Japan Blames Error for Frightening N. Korean Missile Launch Message
WHOOPS!
Thousands of people in Hokkaido were told to evacuate or take immediate cover because a North Korean missile was on the way. It turns out there was no real danger.
The Japanese government claimed that its missile alert system malfunctioned when it notified thousands of residents in the northern Hokkaido region to “seek shelter immediately” on Thursday morning after North Korea launched at least one suspected ballistic missile. “Evacuate immediately,” the government repeated in an emergency message, adding that the missile was expected to land near the island around 8 a.m. local time. The country’s J-Alert warning system was activated roughly five minutes before that, according to The Japan Times. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff confirmed the legitimacy of the missile launch on Thursday, according to Reuters—but Japanese authorities later confirmed that the missile fell thousands of miles away in the sea off the coast of North Korea, according to The Guardian. Local officials apologized for the situation and confirmed that there was indeed “no possibility” of a strike near the Japanese coast, the newspaper reported. A statement from NSC spokesperson Adrienne Watson said the United States strongly condemns the DPRK for its test of a long-range ballistic missile and that the president and his national security team “are assessing the situation in close coordination with our allies and partners.”
