Pyongyang test fires ICBM, Japan issues 'seek shelter' warning

Tokyo: Thursday morning brought fear and chaos for people living in and around Hokkaido island in Japan as millions of them were reportedly asked to immediately seek cover to save themselves from a long-range missile launched by North Korea. The government-run alert system: J-Alert warned people that a projectile of what was anticipated as a long-range missile test fired by North Korea could fall in or around the island. Just before 8 am local time, the system issued the evacuation alert, but shortly after, it was revoked because it had “erroneously” anticipated that the missile would land close to the island. The emergency evacuation warning, which Japan’s government eventually withdrew, was justified, government officials said adding that it had not been made in error. “We did not correct the information issued by J-Alert,” the chief cabinet secretary, Hirokazu Matsuno, told a news conference. According to a defence official who spoke on condition of anonymity due to office policies, South Korea’s military believes it was a novel sort of ballistic missile that may have used solid fuel. It would be the North’s first attempt to test an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) using solid fuel. Before a weapon can be fired, liquid fuel must be injected, but because solid-propellant weapons already have fuel loaded within, it is more difficult to predict when one will be launched. As soon as it was detected, the North Korean missile, according to Matsuno, vanished from Japan’s radar, and further investigation revealed that there was no chance it would strike on Japanese soil, allowing authorities to cancel the evacuation alert. The missile test was “strongly condemned,” by White House. The National Security Council’s Adrienne Watson stated in a statement that “the door has not closed on diplomacy, but Pyongyang must immediately cease its destabilising actions and instead choose diplomatic engagement.” The missile had fallen in the water east of North Korea, according to the Japanese coast guard. Yasukazu Hamada, Japan’s defence minister, informed reporters that the missile had not landed on Japanese soil or in its exclusive economic zone. The launch occurred only days after North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong-un, called for a “more practical and offensive manner” to reinforce the nation’s war deterrence in response to US “aggression.” In recent weeks, the North has intensified its weapons tests and rhetoric, ostensibly in reaction to joint military drills between US and South Korean forces, which the dictatorship in Pyongyang claims are practise for an invasion of its country. Seoul and Washington insist that the exercises are strictly defensive. Read all the Latest News , Trending News ,  Cricket News , Bollywood News , India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.