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Japan issues emergency alert after North Korea fires ‘suspected’ ballistic missile

Published 09:38 8 Apr 2026 BST

Updated 09:38 8 Apr 2026 BST

Harry Warner
Japan issues emergency alert after North Korea fires ‘suspected’ ballistic missile

Homenews

Kim must been feeling left out

Japan has issued an emergency alert after North Korea fired what the country said was a "suspected ballistic missile".

While war has been raging in the Middle East between the US, Israel, Iran and allies, others have only been able to watch on from the sidelines with pure FOMO (fear of missing out).

Spare a thought for North Korea's Kim Jong Un who spends an estimated 25% of his nation's GDP on the military just to watch the rest of our planet's finest warmongers enjoy their toys as he looks on from afar.

The closest North Koreans have come to seeing action has been over in Ukraine where soldiers have been fighting on the Russian side.

However, North Korea has just sent out a timely reminder to the globe that they're not to be forgotten, as the nation has reportedly just launched a ballistic missile.

The news was announced by the Prime Minister's Office of Japan, who took to X to share an "Emergency alert" that North Korea had "launched a suspected ballistic missile".

The official account posted this alert at 6:35am (BST) on 8 April and followed it up with another post one hour later.

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This one disclosed further measures Japan are set to take in response to the launch.

The priority for Japan at this time is to "dedicate maximum effort to gather and analyse information, and provide the public with information in a timely and appropriate manner."

The second is to "ensure the safety of aircraft, vessels, and other assets."

While the final measure is to "take all possible measures for precaution, including readiness for contingencies."

Currently, it has not been disclose where North Korea fired the missile, or where it landed.

However, North Korea are no stranger to launching the odd missile into the ocean around its neighbours, as a warning, or reminder not to forget the hermit nation.

Japan issues alert after North Korea fires 'suspected' missile