By the time many people were aware of the alert on Tuesday, North Korea's missile had already splashed down in the Pacific Ocean more than 3,000 kilometers away.
Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno apologizes for the malfunctioning of the government s J-Alert early warning system in nine of Tokyo s island towns and villages after a North Korean ballistic missile launch the previous day.
Under the J-system, developed in 2007, messages are sent in times of national emergencies such as earthquakes, terrorist attacks and certain missile launches.