NHK urged to take preventive steps after false missile news

January 17, 2018

Tokyo- Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga on Wednesday urged Japan Broadcasting Corp. (NHK) to take preventive measures after the public broadcaster distributed false missile news the previous day.

"Warnings issued through the country's J-Alert system are extremely important for the safety and security of the public," the top government spokesman told a news conference.

"We want NHK to thoroughly implement measures to prevent similar cases from occurring," he said.

On Tuesday afternoon, NHK reported on its website and through disaster information apps that North Korea appeared to have launched a missile and that the Japanese government called for evacuations via the J-Alert early warning system.

Minutes later, the broadcaster said that the news was wrong, with no J-Alert warning issued. Offering an apology, NHK said that it mistakenly used its system to distribute flash news online. Jiji Press