Japan declares a flight ban after a missile fear

North Korea's latest launch prompted a warning, telling Hokkaido residents to flee or take cover. The Japanese authorities issued a brief evacuation order, warning Hokkaido residents that they could be endangered by a North Korean ballistic missile that was expected to land in the northern island's vicinity on Thursday morning. However, the government soon retracted the air raid alert, after further analysis showed there was no possibility of the missile landing anywhere near Hokkaido. At 8:20am, the Japanese Defense Ministry confirmed that the missile had come down and was no longer a threat. The type of the projectile has yet to be established, but its flight time and distance suggests that it was an intermediate- or long-range missile.

The missile test was North Korea's ninth this year and its first in more than two weeks, and it came amid heightened tensions with Seoul. South Korean media outlets reported that North Korean officials have refused to answer calls for six days on the inter-Korean military hotline.