'J-alert' issued for first time in 5 years, calling for evacuation of Hokkaido and Aomori residents = South Korean media

As North Korea launched what is presumed to be an intermediate-range ballistic missile, Japan issued a J-alert calling on residents of Hokkaido and Aomori prefectures to evacuate.

According to the South Korean media "Money Today", it was the first time since September 15th, 2017, that a North Korean missile passed over Japan.

The Japanese government immediately issued a "National Instant Warning System (J-Alert)" due to the passage of North Korean missiles over Japan. J-Alert is a service that immediately transmits information on civil protection to local governments through artificial satellites.

Through the issuance of this J-Alert, residents of Hokkaido and Aomori prefectures were told, "missile launch. missile launch. The missile is believed to have been launched from North Korea. Evacuate inside the building or underground (sic)."

Regarding North Korea's missile launch, Chief Cabinet Secretary Matsuno said on the morning of the 4th, "(The missile launched by North Korea) flew over Japan's Tohoku region and fell outside Japan's EEZ in the Pacific Ocean around 7:44 am on the 4th." he said. He added that there were no reports of damage from the missiles at this time.

Regarding the incident, Prime Minister Kishida said, "North Korea seems to have launched a ballistic missile that flew over our country and landed in the Pacific Ocean." After that, he revealed that he instructed to check for any objects that fell from the missile launch, collect and analyze information, and cooperate with other countries.

Earlier, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff announced on the 4th that North Korea had launched a ballistic missile. The missile launched by North Korea that day is presumed to be an intermediate-range ballistic missile and is believed to have flown over Japan.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff said North Korea launched an intermediate-range ballistic missile toward the east at around 7:23 a.m. that day (same as Japan time) from near Mupyong-ri in northern Chagang Province. It was revealed that it seems that "Currently, the South Korean military has stepped up surveillance and vigilance, and the United States and South Korea are working closely together to maintain a perfect posture," he added.