Breaking News, Latest Philippines Headlines, World, Entertainment, Politics, Weather & Video News
by Shingo Ito Agence France Presse TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — When nuclear-armed North Korea fired a ballistic missile over Japan this week, it sparked international condemnation. But it also raised the question: Why Japan? Location It might seem obvious, but geography is frequently a huge factor in geopolitical wrangling. The Japanese archipelago forms a long string off the coast of mainland north Asia, so by definition, any regional player that wants to fire a […]
The Philippines expressed its grave concern over the firing by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) this morning of a ballistic missile that flew over Japanese airspace, and called on North Korea to comply with its obligations to denuclearize the region. “We call on the DPRK to halt these dangerous and provocative actions, which heighten tensions, increase instability and the risk of miscalculation, and could possibly endanger lives,” Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter S. […]
Japan deploys a Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) missile defense system at a US military base in Tokyo as part of a previously scheduled drill, after North Korea’s launch of a missile over its territory. Hiroaki Maehara, commander of the air self defense forces explained to the Japanese troops the importance of drills for a missile defense system. “Practicing this kind of drill allows us to maintain our fast response system in the event of a […]
MOSCOW, Russia (AFP) — Russia on Tuesday said it was “extremely worried” about the situation in North Korea, hitting out at a “tendency towards an escalation” after Pyongyang fired a ballistic missile over Japan. “We see a tendency towards an escalation … and we are extremely concerned by the general developments,” Russia’s deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov was quoted as saying by RIA Novosti state news agency. Tokyo also said the missile overflew Hokkaido, […]
SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — North Korea launched a ballistic missile over Japanese territory on Tuesday, in a surprise move that ramped up international alarm over its weapons program. Here are the key dates in Pyongyang’s quest to develop a missile capable of hitting the United States: Late 1970s: North Korea starts working on a version of the Soviet Scud-B (range 300 kilometres or 185 miles). Test-fired in 1984 1987-92: Begins developing variant of Scud-C […]
SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un has fathered another child, reports said Tuesday, after his wife dropped out of the public eye for several months. First lady Ri Sol-Ju delivered the couple’s third child in February, the Yonhap news agency reported Tuesday, citing South Korean lawmakers who were briefed by the National Intelligence Service. Ri had disappeared for an extended period last year, raising speculation that she could be pregnant. News […]
Reuters — UK foreign secretary Boris Johnson said in a tweet late on Monday (August 28) he was “outraged” by “reckless provocation” of North Korea’s latest missile launch. North Korea fired a missile early on Tuesday that flew over Japan and landed in the Pacific waters off the northern region of Hokkaido, South Korea and Japan said, in a sharp escalation of tensions on the Korean peninsula. The last North Korean projectile to fly over […]
TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Tuesday said North Korea’s launch of a missile over its territory was an “unprecedented, serious and grave threat” as he called for an emergency UN Security Council meeting. Abe vowed to enhance pressure on the nuclear-armed state as tensions spike over Pyongyang’s weapons development ambitions. “Their outrageous act of firing a missile over our country is an unprecedented, serious and grave threat and greatly damages […]
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The Pentagon confirmed that North Korea has launched a missile over Japan, in a major escalation by Pyongyang amid tensions over its weapons ambitions. The missile was launched “within the last 90 minutes,” Colonel Rob Manning, a Pentagon spokesman, said around 2200 GMT Monday (6:30 am Tuesday in Pyongyang). “We assess North Korea conducted a missile launch within the last 90 minutes. We can confirm that the missile launched by […]
TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Japan will take “full steps” to ensure the safety of its people following a North Korean missile test Tuesday that passed over the country, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said. The firing comes days after Pyongyang launched three short-range missiles in what was seen as a minimal provocation after the start of the Ulchi Freedom Guardian South Korean-US joint military exercises. But Tuesday’s flight path represents a significant escalation by Pyongyang, which earlier […]
North Korea fired a missile that passed over northern Japan early on Tuesday (August 29), the Japanese government said. The government’s J-Alert warning system advised people in the area to take precautions, but public broadcaster NHK said there was no sign of damage. The Japanese military did not attempt to shoot down the missile, which passed over Japanese territory around 6:06 a.m. local time (2106 GMT). No North Korean missile had overflown Japan for years, […]
