North Korea launched a ballistic missile

North Korea has launched an unidentified ballistic missile towards the East Sea, also known as the Sea of Japan: the South Korean news agency Yonhap reports it, citing the country's army general staff. The news immediately pushed the Japanese government to call on the population of the northern region of Hokkaido to take shelter: "Evacuate immediately. Evacuate immediately," the government announced in a notice, urging residents to seek shelter inside buildings. Subsequently, however, officials of the the city of Asahikawa, Hokkaido, said on Twitter that the missile would not fall near the region. The Japanese Coast Guard also said there was "no longer the possibility" of the missile falling near Hokkaido.