The Japanese government will conduct a citizen evacuation drill for the first time in preparation for the possible launch of a missile launch from North Korea, public broadcaster NHK reports.
The drill will be held on March 17 in the city of Oga in northeastern Akita province, which has a population of 30,000, and will be a response to a scenario in which a section of a North Korean missile falls on Japanese territory.
During the exercise, the citizens of the city will be evacuated to designated centres using J-alert, a satellite-based warning system that allows authorities to broadcast alerts to local media and to citizens directly via a system of loudspeakers in a matter of seconds.
Tokyo's decision to conduct this drill, involving the local and central governments and the Fire and Disaster Management Agency comes amid repeated missile tests by the Pyongyang regime, which has also threatened to launch an intercontinental ballistic missile soon.
