Japanese Public Media Reports Details of North Korean Intermediate Range Missile Test - Followed by Full Retraction

Japanese public broadcaster NHK on December 27th published a highly detailed report on the flight of a North Korean intermediate ranged ballistic missile, which reportedly flew over 2000km over Japanese airspace before landing east of Cape Erima in southern Hokkaido - one of Japan’s northernmost islands. This would have represented the first time North Korean missiles flew over Japanese airspace since 2017, where multiple tests were carried out for this purpose. The report came at a time when Japan and the Untied States were on high alert for a potential Korean missile test, with Pyongyang having repeatedly warned Washington since April 2019 of severe consequences should it fail to come to the negotiating table with reasonable terms by the end of the year. U.S. surveillance aircraft have increased flights near North Korean airspace in anticipation for such a test. NHK notably retracted its report around 20 minutes after publication, apologising for the false alert, which led a number of analysts to question why or how such a detailed report had been made. How Pyongyang will respond to Washington’s unwillingness to negotiate for removal of economic sanctions remains to be seen, but a test of intermediate or even intercontinental range ballistic missiles remains likely.