North Korean Missile Triggers Evacuation Order, Sparking Fear and Confusion in Japan's Hokkaido

 On Thursday, a North Korean missile launch sparked fear in Japan's northern island of Hokkaido when the government's emergency alert system warned residents to take cover. Millions of people received an evacuation order urging them to seek shelter as the missile could land on or near the island. However, the evacuation order was soon lifted amid reports that it had been sent in error, with local officials saying there was no possibility of the missile hitting the island, and Tokyo later confirming it had fallen outside Japanese territory, in waters off the east coast of the Korean Peninsula.

Many residents criticized the decision to send the alert, saying that even if it had been warranted, there would have been too little time to find shelter. This is not the first time there have been issues with Japan's J-Alerts. Last October, Japan apologized for the malfunctioning of the early warning system when residents in nine of Tokyo's island towns and villages were mistakenly sent alerts. The latest alarm came after North Korea fired what appeared to be a mid or longer-range ballistic missile from an area near Pyongyang, according to South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff.