By NAOKI MATSUYAMA/ Staff Writer
March 25, 2022 at 17:46 JST
Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi enters the prime minister’s office to attend a Cabinet meeting in Tokyo on March 25. (Koichi Ueda)
Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi said North Korea’s latest missile launch poses a “serious threat” not just to Japan but to its allies as well.
“Compared to past missile launches, this missile is a serious threat of a different dimension against the peace and stability of our country and region, and the international community,” Kishi said at a news conference on March 25 following a Cabinet meeting. “We firmly condemn the unforgivable, outrageous act.”
North Korea launched a new type of intercontinental ballistic missile on March 24, which extends its reach farther than ever before.
“It depends on the weight of warhead, but the missile could travel over 15,000 kilometers,” Kishi said. “In that case, the missile range covers the whole of the U.S. mainland, including its East Coast.”
North Korea’s ICBM fell into Japan’s exclusive economic zone in the Sea of Japan about 150 km to the west of the Oshima Peninsula in Hokkaido.
It flew for about 71 minutes, the longest duration ever for a North Korean missile.
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