Planes fly near missile area
2006-07-05 18:00
Tokyo - About a dozen passenger planes were flying in the area and at about the same time that North Korea's missiles splashed down in the Sea of Japan, a press report said on Wednesday.
The planes were flying from European countries to Japan about the same time that six missiles - test fired from North Korea - splashed down, Jiji Press news agency quoted the Japanese defence agency as saying.
North Korea fired six missiles into the northern Sea of Japan near Russia's far eastern maritime province for about five hours until 08:30 (23:30 GMT on Tuesday), the agency said.
The Stalinist state launched another missile hours later in the day.
Bound for Japanese airports
The planes, operated by non-Japanese airlines, were approaching Japan on a regular trans-Eurasian route which flies over Vladivostok and the Japanese port of Niigata, Jiji said.
They were bound for Japanese airports in Narita outside Tokyo, Nagoya and Osaka, it said.
Most Japan-bound planes from Europe pass over a point called IGROD in the Sea of Japan.
Five of the six missiles landed some 200-400km northwest of the point, Jiji said.
The other missile, believed to be a long-range Taepodong-2, splashed down some 100km north of the point. Details of the location of the seventh missile were unclear.
Japan's All Nippon Airways, meanwhile, diverted its three Europe-bound flights on Wednesday north of its regular route as a precaution.
Its six flights will also use the new route on Thursday, the report said.
- AFP