North Korea missile launch sparks alarm, confusion in Japan

STORY: Missile sirens gave a jolt to residents in Japan’s northern island of Hokkaido Thursday morning.

People were told to seek immediate shelter after North Korea fired what appeared to be a new model of ballistic missile.

The rare missile alert caused a lockup in train schedules… Commuters looked confused at service delays at Sapporo’s train station -- a break from its usual extreme punctuality.

The evacuation warning was later lifted – after the missile was confirmed to have fallen outside Japanese territory.

Despite the troubles it caused, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno defended issuing the alert.

“Since the point of the J-Alert is to promptly inform the public of the danger of falling objects from missiles, it was issued from the perspective of prioritizing the safety of our citizens. I believe the decision to issue the alert was appropriate.”

Pyongyang’s missile flew around 620 miles, according to South Korea, which called it a “grave provocation”.

The launch came days after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un called for strengthening the country’s war deterrence in a “more practical and offensive” way to counter so-called “moves of aggression by the United States”.

Pyongyang’s strong words came about as the South continued joint military drills with the U.S.

The South Korean air force performed aerial refuelling exercises in clips it released this week.

While condemning the latest missile test, Washington renewed its offer to open talks, National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said in a statement:

“The door has not closed on diplomacy, but Pyongyang must immediately cease its destabilizing actions and instead choose diplomatic engagement.”