The missile flew for about 45 minutes and appeared to have landed in the waters of Japan’s exclusive economic zone.
The missile may have landed within 230 miles of Japan’s coast, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said.
Experts say North Korea currently is known to have the capability to send missiles to all of South Korea, Japan, as well as to Guam. And the July 4 test-firing of its first intercontinental ballistic missile indicated the regime also might be capable of striking the U.S. mainland too.
“In all honesty, we should not be surprised anymore: North Korea is slowly morphing into a nuclear and missile power right before our very eyes,” said Harry Kazianis, director of defense studies at the Center for the National Interest, a think-tank founded by former President Richard Nixon.
This latest missile firing by North Korea comes a day before the U.S. prepares to conduct a new experimental test of its THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense) anti-missile defense system.
At present, two THAAD anti-missile batteries are deployed in South Korea to defend against the North’s short- and medium-term ballistic missiles.
Brian Wang is a Futurist Thought Leader and a popular Science blogger with 1 million readers per month. His blog Nextbigfuture.com is ranked #1 Science News Blog. It covers many disruptive technology and trends including Space, Robotics, Artificial Intelligence, Medicine, Anti-aging Biotechnology, and Nanotechnology.
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