agence france–presse
Seoul, August 29: Nuclear-armed North Korea fired a ballistic missile over Japan Tuesday in a major escalation that triggered global alarm and a furious response from the government in Tokyo.
A visibly unsettled Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said it was an “unprecedented, serious and grave threat”, while the UN Security Council called an emergency meeting at Tokyo and Washington’s request. Sirens blared out and text messages were fired off across northern Japan warning people in the missile’s flight path to take cover.
Trains were delayed as passengers were urged to seek shelter inside stations. “All lines are experiencing disruption,” said one sign on Sapporo’s metro system. “Reason: Ballistic missile launch.”
The last time a North Korean rocket overflew Japan was in 2009, when Pyongyang said it was a satellite launch. Washington, Seoul and Tokyo believed it was a clandestine test of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).