Japan Broadcaster Joins Hawaii in Issuing False Missile Alert
- Error days after U.S. state caused panic with similar mistake
- NHK apologizes on evening broadcast for erroneous warning
People check their devices during a missile evacuation drill in Fukuoka, in Dec. 2017
Photographer: The Asahi Shimbun/Getty ImagesThis article is for subscribers only.
Japanese national broadcaster NHK issued a false alert about a North Korean missile launch, adding to questions about the reliability of early-warning systems after a similar incident in Hawaii.
The broadcaster issued a “J-Alert” at 6:55 p.m. Tuesday via its app and website, urging people people to take cover inside buildings or underground. NHK corrected the error at 7:00 p.m. While its television channels didn’t cover the initial alert, an apology was subsequently issued on its scheduled evening news program, as well as on its website.