Japan’s Public Broadcaster Mistakenly Sends Out North Korean Missile Alert

A pedestrian walks in front of a television screen displaying a map of Japan (R) and the Korean Peninsula in Tokyo on November 29, 2017, following a North Korean missile launch. Japan's prime minister said on Novembe... A pedestrian walks in front of a television screen displaying a map of Japan (R) and the Korean Peninsula in Tokyo on November 29, 2017, following a North Korean missile launch. Japan's prime minister said on November 29 that the latest North Korean missile launch was a "violent act" that "can never be tolerated" after the ICBM splashed down in its exclusive economic zone (EEZ). / AFP PHOTO / KAZUHIRO NOGI (Photo credit should read KAZUHIRO NOGI/AFP/Getty Images) MORE LESS

TOKYO (AP) — Japan’s public broadcaster mistakenly sent an alert warning citizens of a North Korean missile launch and urging them to seek immediate shelter, then retracted it minutes later, days after a similar error in Hawaii.

NHK television issued the message Tuesday on its internet and mobile news sites as well as on Twitter, saying North Korea appeared to have fired a missile at Japan. It said the government was telling people to take shelter.

The false alarm came two days after Hawaii’s emergency management department sent a mistaken warning of a North Korean missile attack to mobile phones across the state, triggering panic.

NHK deleted its tweet after several minutes, issued a correction and apologized several times on air. It said a mistake in using the alert system caused the error.

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  1. This is how wars start.

  2. Avatar for tao tao says:

    This is a test. It is only a test. If it were the real thing you would all be dead.

  3. Avatar for sanni sanni says:

    A friend speculated about the Hawaii false alert - perhaps Nkor hacking? Didn’t think much of that idea… until this.

  4. Moves it up to #1 on my hit parade.

  5. Avatar for massie massie says:

    yes, this is concerning.

    gosh, I hate it when things happen that start to make me feel like a conspiracy theorist.

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