North Korean Missile Alert Sparks Suspicion Amid Japan's Political Tensions

On Thursday morning, Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida issued a warning about the potential launch of a ballistic missile by North Korea, stirring suspicion among some social media users on X.

At 7:19 a.m. on September 12 (JST), a post was made alerting the public to the possible missile launch. Kishida followed with a contingency plan, urging efforts to gather and analyse information while keeping the public informed.

Political Concerns

However, the warning was met with scepticism. Some Japanese users on X speculated that the alert might be politically motivated, tied to ongoing debates about amending Japan’s constitution, particularly Article 9, which limits military action to self-defence. Comments ranged from questioning the timing of the announcement to suggestions that it was part of a push for constitutional change.

Context of North Korean Missile Threats

Missile warnings from North Korea have been relatively frequent in Japan over the past decade. This particular alert comes at a time of heightened political tension, both domestically and internationally, with upcoming political changes in Japan and unrest in the U.S. media landscape.

Crypto Threats and Broader Context

This development also coincided with a warning from the FBI in the U.S. about potential threats from North Korean cyber actors targeting cryptocurrency exchange-traded funds (ETFs). While unrelated, the timing of these alerts has added to an atmosphere of heightened alertness.

As of 10:12 a.m. (JST), the Prime Minister’s office confirmed that the missile had fallen outside Japan’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ), as initially reported by other media outlets.