**UPDATED**

Little Rocket Man is on a roll. Last night, North Korea fired a missile over Japan which landed in the ocean. Their fourth this week. A “seek shelter” order was issued and then cancelled by the Japanese government. Kim Jong Un just couldn’t stand it that Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping were getting all of the attention. He is rattling his saber to remind everyone that he is here and has nukes.

Because there isn’t enough chaos in the world now, right? Here is how the New York Times, still reliable on some things, reported the missile launch:

North Korea on Tuesday fired a ballistic missile over Japan for the first time in five years, the South Korean military said, prompting a rare warning by the Japanese government for residents in two northern prefectures to seek shelter.

The launch represented a major escalation by North Korea, which has conducted a flurry of missile tests in recent days as the United States and its allies held military drills in the region.

According to Japan’s Ministry of Defense, the missile passed over Japan toward the Pacific Ocean at 7:22 a.m. and landed in the ocean 17 minutes later. Japan said the missile crashed down outside its exclusive economic zone, which extends 200 nautical miles from its shores.

North Korea has fired 23 ballistic and other missiles this year — four just this week — but it was the first time since the 2017 launch that Japan had issued a warning for residents to take shelter.

The government exhorted people in the prefectures of Aomori and Hokkaido, as well as several islands near Tokyo, to seek shelter while it tracked the path of the missile.

The last time a North Korean missile flew over Japan was on Sept. 15, 2017, when the country launched its intermediate-range ballistic missile Hwasong-12. The missile flew 2,300 miles, crashing into waters 1,370 miles east of Hokkaido, the northernmost main Japanese island.

Japan’s reaction to the launch was a little mild:

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told reporters that “the firing, which followed a recent series of launches by North Korea, is a reckless act and I strongly condemn it.” He said he would convene the National Security Council to discuss the situation.

Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said no damage was immediately reported from the missile that flew 22 minutes and landed in waters outside the country’s exclusive economic zone.

Diplomatic speech is so banal. Here is the South Korean reaction from the Joint Chiefs of that country:

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said it detected the missile being fired from the inland north in North Korea. It said the South Korean military raised its surveillance posture and maintained its readiness in close coordination with the United States.

Dear God, Man. Have you listened to Secretary of Defense Austin, Chairman of our Joint Chiefs Milley?

This claim is repeated in this video:

Here is what we know about this particular type of missile from Dr. Jeffrey Lewis of the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey (CA):

Based on the range, apogee and flight time, the North Korea missile was a Hwasong-12 IRBM.

This is the 8th test of the Hwasong-12 and the 3rd time it has overflown Japan. The last test was on January 30, 2022, pictured below. pic.twitter.com/9bsVWYdfc2

— Dr. Jeffrey Lewis (@ArmsControlWonk) October 4, 2022

Okay, so North Korea has overflown Japan three times and the last was on January 30, 2022. That’s not scary at all. The newspapers all keep reporting that it’s the first time NK has overflown Japan in five years. Dr. Lewis reiterated in his Twitter thread that is not true. It was January this year.

A year ago, our Deanna wrote about North Korean missile tests and she began with:

Here begins the real-world consequences of Joe Biden’s failures in Afghanistan – aside from leaving American citizens, greencard holders, and SIV holders behind to whatever fate befalls them.

North Korea, still under the control of dictator-for-life Kim Jong Un, decided to test some new missiles over the weekend. After all, why not? It’s not like Joe Biden is going to do anything about it. And these were not just fun little rockets. Nope, North Korea tested out some cruise missiles.

Not much has changed since last year. Joe Biden is still feckless. But Kamala said that we have an alliance with North Korea.

KAMALA HARRIS: "The United States shares a very important relationship, which is an alliance with the Republic of North Korea." pic.twitter.com/H2dI5UYOlo

— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) September 29, 2022

With people like Joe, Kamala, Austin and Milley in charge, why shouldn’t North Korea, China, Russia and Iran feel emboldened to try anything.

**UPDATE**

Tonight, NSA Jake Sullivan consulted with his counterparts in Japan and the Republic of Korea on appropriate and robust joint and international responses. Sullivan reinforced the United States’ ironclad commitments to the defense of Japan and the ROK. https://t.co/0Ua33iz3gk

— National Security Council (@WHNSC) October 4, 2022

“Appropriate” AND “robust”. The people of Japan must be so relieved.

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