North Korea launched three ballistic missiles early Tuesday morning, according to the Japanese government.<\/b>
\nNorth Korea fired a ballistic missile over Japan early Tuesday morning, according to the U. S., South Korean, and Japanese armed forces.
North Korea fired a ballistic missile from the capital city of Pyongyang, towards the Pacific Ocean, Yonhap News Agency reports, citing the South Korean military. The weapon flew over Japan and splashed down in the Pacific Ocean over 700 miles east of the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido. While there were early reports that North Korea fired three missiles, the Japanese government has clarified that the weapon broke into three parts after traveling more than 1,600 miles.
\u201cWe\u2019 ll take utmost efforts to protect the public, \u201d Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said in a brief statement intended to reassure the alarmed Japanese people, some of which were instructed to prepare for a possible North Korean missile strike. The initial trajectory suggested that the missile might be headed for northern Japan.
Tuesday\u2019s launch follows another provocative launch over the weekend in which North Korea fired three short-range ballistic missiles into the East Sea\/Sea of Japan. While U. S. Pacific Command initially reported that all of the missiles failed, it later changed its assessment, stating that only one of the three failed.
Tuesday\u2019s missile launch represents a major escalation at a time of heightened tension in Northeast Asia. \u201cThis ballistic missile appeared to fly over our territory, \u201d Japan\u2019s Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, a senior government spokesman, said in response, \u201cIt is an unprecedented, serious and grave threat to our nation.\u201d
North Korea has not launched a missile over Japan since 1998.
This post will be updated as more information becomes available.<\/p>\n

\n

Similarity rank: 15<\/div>\n

Sentiment rank: -2.3<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n<\/div>\n