North Korea fires a ballistic missile that flew over Japan leaving residents scared

Yesterday, North Korea fired a missile over Japan which the country's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has called the "most serious and grave ever" threat to the country.



The missile was fired just before 6 a.m. in Japan. The launch of the missile set off series of warnings in the northern part of the country urging people to seek shelter wia messages on their mobile phones and there was panic among residents.



According to reports, the missile flew over Erimomisaki, on the northern island of Hokkaido, and broke into three pieces before falling into the Pacific Ocean, about 1,180 kilometers (733 miles) off the Japanese coast.



The missile was in flight for about 14 minutes, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said at an emergency press conference. "There is no immediate report of the fallen objects and no damage to the ships and aircraft," he added.



Japanese Prime Minister condemned the launch as a reckless act saying, 'we have fully grasped the movement of the missile immediately after their launch and have been taking every possible effort to protect the lives of people. It is a serious and grave threat which impairs the safety and peace of the region'.