North Korea's firing of what appeared to be an intermediate-range ballistic missile over Japan Tuesday morning — which landed in the sea 1,180 km east of Cape Erimo in Hokkaido after reaching an altitude of 550 km as it flew over the nation's northernmost prefecture — serves as a stark reminder that our country is well within the range of North Korean missiles. Though it's not the first time that a North Korean ballistic missile flew over Japan — in fact the Tuesday's was the fifth since a Taepodong-1 flew over Tohoku and landed in the Pacific in 1998 — such a provocative act is unacceptable and must be denounced. However, sheer denunciation and condemnation will likely not stop Kim Jong Un's regime, as we all know from the failure of international efforts so far to discourage Pyongyang end its ballistic missile and nuclear weapons programs.
In a telephone conversation, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and U.S. President Donald Trump reportedly concurred that it's no time for a dialogue with North Korea and that greater pressure must be applied on Pyongyang. Calling the latest missile launch an "unprecedented, serious and grave security threat" that could "undermine peace and security in the region," Abe said North Korea's "policy must be changed by adding a stronger pressure" on the regime. It must be noted, however, that pressures alone have not been able to end North Korea's provocative acts. Efforts must be maintained to pursue a diplomatic solution, particularly involving China and Russia.
The prime minister also said the government fully grasped the movement of the missile since right after its launch and that it took all measures to protect the lives of people. For the third time ever, the government activated its satellite-based J-Alert system to inform municipalities in 12 prefectures, including Hokkaido, of the missile launch and its flight over Japan, calling on residents to evacuate to safe places. The initial alert was issued about four minutes after the missile was fired at 5:58 a.m., urging the residents to take precautions. Twelve minutes later, the system informed that the missile appeared to have flown past the areas.