North Korea fired a probable ballistic missile into the sea on Saturday 5 March, a week after firing another. It was at least the ninth one launched in 2022 so far. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the weapon was fired toward the country’s eastern waters. A televised statement by neighboring Japan’s Defense Minister, Nobuo Kishi, said, “There have been frequent launches since the start of the year, and North Korea is continuing to rapidly develop ballistic missile technology.”