BREAKING: North Korea Fires Long-Range Rocket; Japan Issues J-Alert

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According to the Associated Press North Korea has launched a long range rocket.  This move is seen by many critics as a cover for a banned missile test.

Update: North Korea state media says it has put a satellite into orbit on a successful rocket launch; US says still assessing.  North Korea state media also vows the country will launch more satellites. (AP).

North Korea‘s long-range rocket succeeds in first stage separation according to news agency Yonhap.

Japanese government confirm, North Korea Ballistic missile flew over Okinawa Japan and fell in the Pacific Ocean on 0045 GMT.  Japan Government’s summary of North Korea missile–separates into 5 parts.  Pieces impacted the Yellow Sea, East China Sea, Pacific Ocean.  South Korean defense officials do not believe any pieces landed in South Korean territory.

The Department of Defense confirms DPRK launch, says does not pose threat to United States or its allies  (Reuters).  The White House also condemns North Korea’s long-range missile launch, calls for “serious consequences” against North’s “reckless actions”

Japan Prime Minister Abe calls N.Korean launch ‘absolutely intolerable.’  S. Korea requests an emergency meeting of UN Security Council over DPRK rocket launch (Yonhap).  The UN Security Council to meet Sunday to discuss North Korea rocket launch; request for meeting made by US, S. Korea, Japan – Reuters

N. KOREAN MISSILE LAUNCHED “TOWARDS DIRECTION OF OKINAWA” — NHK CITES J-ALERT.  The missile is believed to have flown over Okinawa according to Japanese Government officials.

A J-Alert is a satellite based system that allows authorities to quickly broadcast alerts to local media and to citizens directly via a system of loudspeakers. According to Japanese officials it takes about 1 second to inform local officials, and between 4 and 20 seconds to relay the message to citizens.  All warnings, except for severe weather warnings, are broadcast in five languages: Japanese, English, Mandarin, Korean and Portuguese (Japan has a small Chinese, Korean and Brazilian population). The warnings were broadcast in these languages during the 11 March 2011 earthquake and tsunami.  The severe weather warnings are only broadcast in Japanese.  J-Alert broadcasts via the Superbird-B2 communication satellite.

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Japan’s NHK captures North Korean rocket launch from TV camera in China.  (Upper Center of image)

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