Sep 15 (NHK) - Japan's Defense Ministry says a ballistic missile fired from North Korea landed in the Pacific Ocean about 2,200 kilometers east of Hokkaido, northern Japan, on Friday morning.
Ministry officials said the missile was fired at around 6:57 AM Japan time from Sunan on North Korea's west coast.
It flew over Hokkaido and landed in the Pacific Ocean outside Japan's exclusive economic zone about 20 minutes later.
The officials estimated that the missile flew about 3,700 kilometers and reached an altitude of about 800 kilometers. They said no debris fell on Japanese territory, and that no ships or aircraft were hit.
The officials said the missile was likely a Hwasong-12 intermediate-range ballistic type. The North launched a similar type last month.
They said the two missiles were launched in similar directions, but that the latest one traveled about 1,000 kilometers farther and climbed about 250 kilometers higher.
Friday's missile traveled 300 kilometers farther than the distance between North Korea and the US territory of Guam. Last month, North Korea said it is considering plans to fire missiles at areas near the Pacific island.
Source: ANNnewsCH
