朝鮮發射一枚飛越日本的導彈,引起關注

North Korea fired a missile that flew over Japan early Tuesday morning, prompting fresh concern in Tokyo and Seoul.

The missile, passing high above Japan about 10 minutes after launch, split into three pieces and splashed into the Pacific Ocean, east of the northern main Japanese island of Hokkaido, according to Japan's government.

The trajectory triggered satellite-activated emergency alarms to the Japanese public, warning people in the Tohoku region to take cover because of a possible impact from a North Korean missile.

The missile was launched (at 20:57 UTC Monday/05:57 in Seoul and Tokyo on Tuesday) from Sunan, near Pyongyang's international airport, flying more than 2,700 kilometers at a maximum altitude of around 550 kilometers, according to the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Japanese authorities say their anti-missile batteries made no attempt to shoot down the projectile.

The North Korean launch "did not pose a threat to North America," said U.S. Army Colonel Robert Manning, a spokesman at the Pentagon.

An official at the U.S. National Security Council told VOA that authorities in Washington were awaiting specific information from the U.S. Pacific Command about the type of North Korean missile that was fired.

Authorities in Japan sounded an alert for the northern part of the country as soon as the launch was detected, but no rocket fragments were known to hit the ground.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who immediately called an emergency meeting, said as he entered his office: "We will make utmost efforts to firmly protect the lives of the people."

Japan's chief government spokesman, Yoshihide Suga, said the incident was a "serious, grave security threat" to Japan.

Suga declared the launch was a clear violation of United Nations resolutions, and said Japan will work closely with the United States, South Korea and other concerned nations on a response.

Japan, the United States and South Korea have called for an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council to discuss the situation.

South Korea's president, Moon Jae-in, also quickly convened a morning meeting of his national security council, as has become the norm following such launches from the North.

Moon's spokesman Park Su-hyun said the country's military also put on a show of force with four fighter jets dropping bombs on targets at a military field.

The U.S. dollar fell to a four-month low against the Japanese yen in early Tuesday morning currency trading in Asia in response to the North Korean missile launch.

Three days before Tuesday's launch, Pyongyang fired three short-range missiles into the sea between the Korean Peninsula and Japan, as U.S. and South Korean military forces were beginning scheduled joint military exercises.朝鮮星期二早晨發射了一枚導彈。這枚導彈飛過日本上空，引起日本和韓國新的關切。

日本政府說，這枚導彈發射大約10分鐘後飛過日本上空，隨後在空中解體，分爲三節，在日本北海道以東海域落入太平洋。

導彈的飛行軌跡觸發了衛星激活的緊急預警，告誡日本東北地區民衆爲導彈可能落地做好準備。

韓國參謀長聯席會議說，這枚導彈是日本和韓國時間星期二早上5點57分從朝鮮順安發射的，在平壤國際機場附近，導彈飛行了2700多公里，飛行高度最高達到約550公里。

東京當局表示，他們的反導彈發射裝置沒有試圖擊落這枚導彈。

美國五角大樓發言人曼寧上校說，這枚導彈“沒有對北美構成威脅“。

美國國家安全委員會的一位官員對美國之音說，美國當局正在等待美軍太平洋司令部上報關於這枚朝鮮導彈型號的具體信息。

日本當局偵測到導彈發射後，立即向日本北部地區發出了警報，但是沒有導彈碎片落在陸地上的報道。

日本首相安倍晉三立即召開緊急會議。他在進入辦公室之際說：“我們將做出最大努力來堅決保衛人民生命。”

日本政府首席發言人菅義偉說，這起事件對日本構成“嚴重的安全威脅”。

菅義偉宣佈，這次導彈發射是公然違反聯合國決議。他並且表示，日本將和美國、韓國和其他相關國家密切協調做出反應。

日本、美國和韓國呼籲聯合國安理會召開緊急會議，討論新的事態發展。

韓國總統文在寅星期二早上也依慣例迅速召集國家安全委員會開會。

文在寅的發言人說，韓國軍隊出動四架戰鬥機，向一個軍事場地的打擊目標投放炸彈，展示軍力。

朝鮮發射導彈的消息傳來後，亞洲市場早上美元對日元的匯率降至四個月以來的最低點。

星期二發射導彈的的三天前，朝鮮向朝鮮半島和日本之間的海域發生了三枚短程導彈，作爲對美韓開始聯合軍事演習的迴應。