North Korea has fired what appears to be a ballistic missile over Japan, the country’s defense ministry said Monday.
The apparent ballistic missile was launched at 7:22 a.m. local time and passed over Japan at 7:29 a.m., Japan’s defense ministry said.
The South Korean government has confirmed that the Japanese government has warned citizens to take shelter. The missile probably flew over Japan, but it is still unclear whether it fell into the sea.
Residents of Aomori and Hokkaido prefectures, towards the northern end of Japan, have been urged to be on alert and notify police or firefighters if debris is seen.
People have also been warned by authorities not to touch or pick up debris.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s office has begun gathering members to analyze the situation.
A government spokesman said no damage had been reported so far and a search for debris was underway. Officials are gathering information and will work with South Korea and the United States
“North Korea’s actions threaten Japan and the international community,” the spokesperson said. “Missile launches like this go against UN resolutions. Japan will launch a strong protest against North Korea in light of this. Any new information will be shared promptly.”
ABC News’ Joohee Cho, Guy Davies and Anthony Trotter contributed to this report.