Entire U.S. Mainland within N. Korea's ICBM Range: Kishi

Tokyo, March 25 (Jiji Press)--North Korea's new intercontinental ballistic missile fired Thursday was apparently capable of reaching anywhere on the U.S. mainland, Japanese Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi said Friday.

"Simple calculations indicate that (the missile) was capable of covering a distance of over 15,000 kilometers, which means that the entire U.S. mainland was within its range," Kishi told a press conference.

He added that the missile has posed "a serious threat on a level different" from the times of past launches.

According to the ministry, the latest missile was launched in a lofted trajectory and traveled around 1,100 kms, reaching an altitude exceeding 6,000 kms.

Kishi said that Thursday's missile was the same as a new ICBM unveiled at a military parade in October 2020 and the ones launched by Pyongyang on Feb. 27 and March 5 this year.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]