North Korea fired a “suspected ballistic missile” toward the sea of Japan on March 24, the Japanese prime minister’s office said in a statement. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s office announced the suspected ballistic missile launch by North Korea at around 2:40 p.m. local time. He later delivered instructions to “dedicate maximum effort to gather and analyze information, and provide the public speedy and adequate information” regarding the missile launch and ensure the “safety of aircraft, vessels, and other assets.” His office also said it would take “all possible measures for precaution, including readiness for contingencies.” South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the launch possibly involved an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) fired on a “lofted” trajectory, Yonhap news agency reported. Japan’s coast guard said the missile landed around 170 kilometers (105 miles) west of Aomori in northern Japan, outside of Japan’s exclusive economic zone, according to local reports. South Korea’s coast guard alerted about the launch at 2:49 …