North Korea Launches Ballistic Missile, Prompting Brief Evacuation Order in Japan

A man walks past a television screen showing a news broadcast with file footage of a North Korean missile test, at a railway station in Seoul, South Korea, on April 13, 2023. Yung Yeon-je/AFP via Getty Images

North Korea fired a ballistic missile on April 13, according to South Korea’s military, triggering a scare in northern Japan.

The launch prompted Japan’s government-run emergency broadcasting system, J-Alert, to warn millions of residents on its northernmost island of Hokkaido to “evacuate immediately” and take immediate cover in a building or underground, stating that the missile was expected to land near the island.

The Japanese government soon lifted the order, citing an erroneous prediction from the system.

A TV shows a J-Alert, the Japanese national early warning system, to Japanese residents on the island of Hokkaido on April 13, 2023. Shuji Kajiyama/AP Photo

“The Japanese government is warning that North Korea appears to have launched at least one ballistic missile. The government is urging everyone in Hokkaido to seek shelter,” the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo announced on Twitter at the time, before issuing a separate statement later:

“Authorities report that it has been confirmed that the possibility of the missile falling in Hokkaido and its vicinity has been eliminated.”

Japan’s coast guard stated that the missile fell in the sea, east of North Korea. Yasukazu Hamada, Japan’s defense minister, told reporters that the missile didn’t fall within Japan’s territory or exclusive economic zone.

North Korea fired the missile at 7:23 a.m. local time from near Pyongyang on April 13, according to South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff. It noted that South Korea’s military boosted its surveillance posture and maintains a firm readiness in close coordination with the United States.

North Korea earlier this month claimed that it had tested a nuclear-capable underwater attack drone. According to North Korean state news agency KCNA, the drone was tested on April 4 through April 7 and cruised 1,000 kilometers (621 miles) for about 71 hours, successfully hit a simulated target, and “perfectly proved the reliability of the underwater strategic weapon system and its fatal attack ability.”

North Korea has been critical of a recent series of U.S.-led joint military exercises between the United States and South Korea, claiming that they’re proof of U.S. hostility against North Korea.

So far this year, North Korea has launched about 30 missiles that it says are in response to the joint military drills.

U.S. and South Korean officials have denied any intention of invading North Korea, saying the drills are defensive in nature and seek to respond to North Korea’s growing nuclear and missile threats.

However, Pyongyang claims that the U.S.–South Korea joint military exercises compelled it to develop nuclear weapons and other defenses to deal with the military threats.

North Korea Unresponsive

Separately, South Korean officials say North Korea hasn’t been responding to South Korean calls on a set of cross-border inter-Korean hotlines for about a week. Communications on those channels are meant to prevent accidental clashes along the rivals’ disputed western sea boundary.

On April 11, South Korean Unification Minister Kwon Youngse, Seoul’s point man on its northern neighbor, expressed “strong regret” over North Korea’s “unilateral and irresponsible attitude” over the hotlines.

Kwon also warned of unspecified legal action over North Korea’s use of South Korean assets at a now-stalled inter-Korean factory park in North Korea.

Japan announced this week that it will hold trilateral defense talks with the United States and South Korea on April 14 in Washington to discuss regional issues, including North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats.

Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.