North Korea’s ballistic missile appears to have landed in Japan’s Exclusive Economic Zone: PM Kishida

Japan PM Fumio Kishida said the missile flew an estimated 900 km, reaching a maximum altitude of 5,700 km, and is believed to have landed at 6:27 p.m.

A TV screen shows a file image of North Korea’s missile during a news program at the Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea on February 18. 2023. | Photo Credit: AP

A suspected ballistic missile fired from North Korea on Saturday is believed to have landed within Japan's exclusive economic zone, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said.

"It appears the ballistic missile fired by North Korea landed within Japan's EEZ, west of Hokkaido," Mr. Kishida told reporters, after a Japanese defence official said the missile was expected to land around 200 kilometres (125 miles) west of Oshima island in northern Japan's Hokkaido.

The missile was intercontinental ballistic missile-class, the government in Tokyo said.

North Korea “fired one ICBM-class ballistic missile toward the east. It flew for about 66 minutes,” chief government spokesman Hirokazu Matsuno told reporters.

He said the missile flew an estimated 900 km, reaching a maximum altitude of 5,700 km, and is believed to have landed at 6:27 p.m.

Earlier in the day, South Korea’s military said North Korea on Saturday fired at least one ballistic missile into the sea, a day after it threatened to take strong measures against South Korea and the U.S. over their joint military exercises.