Seoul (The Hawk): North Korea has launched numerous missiles, including a failed suspected intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) that prompted the Japanese government to issue evacuation notices in the country's northern and central regions.
The Thursday launches are the latest in a series of North Korean missile tests that have heightened regional tensions. They came a day after Pyongyang launched more than 20 missiles, the highest in a single day, including one that landed for the first time off South Korea's coast, prompting Seoul to launch air-to-ground missiles in return.
Despite an earlier government warning that a missile had overflew Japan, Tokyo eventually denied this.
Earlier in the morning, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's office issued warnings to inhabitants in the northern and central prefectures of Miyagi, Yamagata, and Niigata, advising them to seek shelter inside solid structures or underground. Following the missile threat, bullet train services in those areas were momentarily interrupted before returning shortly.
Kishida, who stated that the first missile launched could have been an ICBM, criticised North Korea's tests and stated that officials were analysing the weapons' specifics.
"North Korea's repeated missile launches are an outrage that must not be tolerated," he continued.
(Inputs from Agencies)