Launching a missile and flying it over our country was a reckless act, and it represents a serious threat without precedent to Japan,” PM Japan Shinzo Abe reportedly said after an emergency national security council meeting.
As per reports Japan’s upgraded missile response system swung into action, sending emergency alerts through cell phones and over loud speakers shortly after 6 a.m. local time, warning people on the potential flight path of the threat and advising them to take cover.
The Japanese broadcaster NHK showed Patriot missiles lined up in Japan, a staunch U.S. ally, ready to shoot down any incoming missiles. However, Japan did not use any of its missile defenses, apparently because the projectiles were not heading to Japanese territory.