Japan sends out false missile alarm

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Alerts from a Japanese news site about a false ballistic missile warning Tuesday Associated Press/Photo by Eugene Hoshiko

Japan’s public broadcast system issued a false alert Tuesday morning, warning residents through its internet site and Twitter to take cover from an incoming North Korean missile. The system sent out a correction minutes later. The Hawaii Emergency Management Agency sent a similar false alarm Saturday, but its system wouldn’t allow a correction for nearly 40 minutes, sending residents into a panic. Like in Hawaii, Japanese officials blamed the false warning on an employee error, but the Japanese false alarm seemed far more credible. North Korea has fired a ballistic missile over Japan in the past, and residents were warned at the time to seek shelter.

Paul Butler

Paul is executive producer for WORLD Radio, senior producer for the Effective Compassion and Legal Docket podcasts, and a member of WORLD’s Editorial Council. He is a World Journalism Institute graduate, a Moody Radio alum, a pastor, and a former college professor. He resides with his family in Arlington, Ill.

@PaulDButlerTWE

Lynde Langdon

Lynde is WORLD’s executive editor for news. She is a graduate of World Journalism Institute, the Missouri School of Journalism, and the University of Missouri–St. Louis. Lynde resides with her family in Wichita, Kan.

@lmlangdon