Tuesday marked a significant escalation in North Korea’s weapons testing program as it conducted its first unexpected ballistic missile launch over Japan in the past five years.
Early in the morning, the missile crossed northern Japan and is thought to have landed in the Pacific. North Korea last launched a ballistic missile over Japan in 2017.
This is the 23rd missile launch by North Korea this year, making it the most such launches since leader Kim Jong Un assumed power in 2012. In contrast, Pyongyang carried out eight tests in 2021 and four in 2020.
According to Japanese officials, the missile fired on Tuesday traveled 4,600 kilometers (2,858 miles) in altitude, at a top speed of Mach 17, or 17 times the speed of sound, and at a distance of around 1,000 kilometers (621 miles).
This flight over Japan is significantly more provocative for both practical and symbolic reasons because North Korea typically launches its missiles into the seas off the coast of the Korean Peninsula.
Since there would be no previous notice to alert ships and aircraft to avoid the region, there may be risks to them while the missile descends to its target.
Additionally, if the test had failed and the missile had missed, it might have put important population centers at peril. According to Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno, the missile passed over the Tohoku area of Japan, which is home to more than 8 million people.