Japan Developing New Alert System Amid N Korea's Missile Launches

The Japanese government is developing a new emergency system to issue faster warnings in case of Pyongyang's missile launches, media reported on Wednesday.

TOKYO (Sputnik) — The move comes after Pyongyang fired three ballistic missiles from Hwangju county in the direction of the Sea of Japan on Monday. On Tuesday, Japanese Defense Minister Tomomi Inada said that North Korea had made advancements in its missile technologies.

According to Japanese NHK broadcaster, the new emergency system will also alert ships and aircraft not only in the country's territorial waters, but in the exclusive economic zone, which the old systems could not do.

The notification system will work in several stages: first, the Cabinet Secretariat will inform the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, the Coast Guard, and the Fisheries Agency of missile launches. Then these bodies will imminently contact ships and aircraft by radio and notify them about the threats.

North Korea is currently under pressure from the international community since its January nuclear test and a long-range rocket launch in February, which resulted in tightening sanctions against Pyongyang in the new UN Security Council resolution in March.