North Korea fires multiple ballistic missiles into Pacific Ocean, Japan issues `rare` EMERGENCY ALERT

Residents of Miyagi, Yamagata and Niigata prefectures in northern Japan were told to seek shelter indoors, according to the J-Alert Emergency Broadcasting System, on Thursday.

SEOUL: North Korea fired multiple ballistic missiles on Thursday, including one that triggered an emergency alert for residents in parts of central and northern Japan to seek shelter, the latest in a record year of missile testing by the nuclear-armed North.

Residents of Miyagi, Yamagata and Niigata prefectures in northern Japan were told to seek shelter indoors, according to the J-Alert Emergency Broadcasting System.

Despite an initial government warning that a missile had overflown Japan, Tokyo later said that the report was incorrect. Japan Coast Guard confirmed at 8:10 AM that the missiles had landed somewhere in the Pacific Ocean.

The Prime Minister's Office of Japan also released an Emergency alert in view of the suspected ballistic missile launched by North Korea.

The launches came a day after North Korea fired at least 23 missiles, the most in a single day, including one that landed off South Korea's coast for the first time. The latest missile launch marks the second time the nuclear-armed North has fired a missile over Japan this year and the eighth time overall. Such launches are seen as far more provocative moves than its recent spate of shorter-range missile tests.