N. Korean ICBM Falls into Japan's EEZ after 69 Minutes in Air

Tokyo, Nov. 18 (Jiji Press)--North Korea fired a possible intercontinental ballistic missile into the Sea of Japan from the suburbs of Pyongyang around 10:14 a.m. Friday (1:14 a.m. GMT), Japan's Defense Ministry said.

The ICBM-class ballistic missile is estimated to have fallen inside Japan's exclusive economic zone around 11:23 a.m., at a point some 200 kilometers west of the island of Oshima-Oshima in the northernmost Japan prefecture of Hokkaido, Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno told a press conference in Tokyo. The missile flew for about 69 minutes, Japanese Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada said.

There have been no reports of damage from the missile to aircraft or ships, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said in Bangkok. He is visiting the Thai capital as part of his Southeast Asian tour to attend a series of international meetings.

The missile traveled a distance of some 1,000 kilometers, reaching a maximum altitude of about 6,000 kilometers, according to Matsuno. It is believed to have been launched on a lofted trajectory. The Japanese government did not issue an order to destroy the missile or use its J-Alert early warning system as there was no fear that the missile would hit Japan, Matsuno, the top spokesman of the government, said.

"Depending on the weight of the warhead and other factors, the missile could have a range of over 15,000 kilometers," which would include the U.S. mainland, Hamada told reporters.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]