Japanese Navy ships are on a reconnaissance mission, searching for the remains of six missiles launched overnight by North Korea. The UN Security Council is about to hold an emergency meeting to discuss the crisis.
Tokyo (AsiaNews/Agencies) The Japanese government has ordered its troops to be on maximum state of alert following a series of overnight missile test launches by North Korea.
This was announced by Fukushiro Nukaga, head of Japan's Defence Agency: "Japanese vessels are scouring the Sea of Japan to try to retrieve the fallen missiles for analysis. The Self Defence Force has strengthened its alert level and are maintaining their alert warning against North Korea."
Japan does not have a regular army, in line with a 1947 constitution imposed by the US at the end of the Second World War, and calls its troops "Self-Defence Forces".
According to the Japanese military information service, the six medium and long-range missiles tested by Pyongyang overnight were fired one after the other over a two-hour period. The first bomb, a Rodong, was launched at around 3.30am local time (8.30pm Italian time). The largest missile, the Taepodong-2, was fired at around 5am local time (10pm Italian time).
The launch bases were localized in some areas south of the Musudanri base, on the coast of the Sea of Japan, where the Taepodong was set up. All the missiles fell to the sea along the Russian coast, around 500-600km north-east of the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido.
In a bid to find a diplomatic solution to the crisis described by Washington as a "provocation to the international community" the United Nations Security council will hold an emergency meeting in New York. This was announced by the French ambassador, Jean Marc de la Sabliere, current chief of the Council. In press statement, de la Sabliere said he had "received and accepted a request from the ambassador of Japan to hold a meeting of the Security Council after the launch of missiles by North Korea."