By NAOKI MATSUYAMA/ Staff Writer
February 27, 2022 at 17:20 JST
Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi holds an emergency news conference in Tokyo on Feb. 27 after North Korea’s launch of a ballistic missile earlier in the day. (Naoki Matsuyama)
Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi signaled Feb. 27 it would be folly not to pay close attention to North Korea’s leaps and bounds in missile technology, referring to a ballistic missile launch earlier in the day.
The test marked the eighth this year by Pyongyang. Its last test, a medium-range ballistic missile, was on Jan. 30.
“North Korea has been relentlessly test-firing missiles with intensified frequency with new forms of technology,” Kishi said. “We should not overlook the fact that North Korea has made significant strides in missile technology.”
Kishi called the latest test “completely unacceptable,” given heightened global concern over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The missile came down without incident in waters off the east coast of North Korea after traveling at a maximum altitude of 600 kilometers.
Stories about memories of cherry blossoms solicited from readers
Cooking experts, chefs and others involved in the field of food introduce their special recipes intertwined with their paths in life.
A series based on diplomatic documents declassified by Japan’s Foreign Ministry
A series on the death of a Japanese woman that sparked a debate about criminal justice policy in the United States
A series about Japanese-Americans and their memories of World War II
Here is a collection of first-hand accounts by “hibakusha” atomic bomb survivors.