Japan Public Broadcaster Issues False North Korean Missile Alert

Reuters: Days after Hawaii alert gaffe, Japan issues false alarm about a missile launch

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese public broadcaster NHK issued a false alarm about a North Korean missile launch on Tuesday, just days after a similar gaffe caused panic in Hawaii, but it managed to correct the error within minutes.

It was not immediately clear what triggered the mistake.

"We are still checking," an NHK spokesman said.

NHK's 6.55 p.m. alert said: "North Korea appears to have launched a missile ... The government urges people to take shelter inside buildings or underground."

The same alert was sent to mobile phone users of NHK's online news distribution service.

In five minutes, the broadcaster put out another message correcting itself.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: Another false missile alert?!?!?!

More News On Japan's Public Broadcaster Issues False North Korean Missile Alert

Japan issues false alarm over missile launch, days after Hawaii alert gaffe -- Reuters
Just days after Hawaii incident, Japan issues false missile alert -- The Hill
Japan Broadcaster Joins Hawaii in Issuing False Missile Alert -- Bloomberg
Japan sounds false alarm over North Korean missile -- News.com.au
Japan public TV sends false North Korean missile alert -- DW
North Korea Missile Launch? False Alarm Set Off By Japanese Broadcaster -- International Business Times

How To Survive A Missile Attack

In Hawaii, the sirens for a missile attack and a natural disaster warning sound different (Pictured: A sign in Oahu, Hawaii, after the false emergency alert)

BBC: How to survive a missile attack: What's the official advice?

What would you do if a hostile missile was flying towards your country, and you had minutes to take cover?

It's a terrifying prospect, and one the people of Hawaii faced on Saturday when an emergency warning was mistakenly sent telling them, "Seek immediate shelter. This is not a drill".

Many tweeted that they were taking refuge in bathtubs, or even under mattresses.

But what's the official guidance in the event of a North Korean missile attack?

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WNU Editor:  A conventional missile attack is one thing .... a nuclear missile attack is another. It appears that everyone on Saturday believed they were under a nuclear attack .... in short .... the worse case scenario.

Who Is To Blame For Yesterday's Missile Alert In Hawaii?

WNU Editor: So who is to blame for yesterday's missile alert in Hawaii? As commentator James put it .... "Hawaii Emergency Management Agency employee" this agency is a state agency under control of and answerable to the governor of Hawaii.

The U.S. Is Unprepared For A Nuclear Disaster

Twitter/@rveIvts

Business Insider: 38 minutes of panic: Here's how people in Hawaii reacted to a false ballistic missile alert

* Hawaiians received a false alarm on Saturday warning of an inbound ballistic missile and causing instant, widespread panic.
* The alert was apparently caused by an employee at Hawaii's Emergency Management Agency pushing the "wrong button" by accident.
* A second alert clarifying that there was no missile threat to Hawaii did not come until 38 minutes after the initial false alarm.

Residents and vacationers in Hawaii awoke Saturday morning to a stunning emergency alert blaring across the screens of their smartphones: "BALLISTIC MISSILE THREAT INBOUND TO HAWAII. SEEK IMMEDIATE SHELTER. THIS IS NOT A DRILL."

There was no missile. The alert was a false alarm, Hawaii's US senators said on Twitter as they rushed to tamp down the hysteria that ensued. The alert was sent out when an employee mistakenly pressed the "wrong button" during a shift change at Hawaii's Emergency Management Agency, Hawaii Gov. David Ige later said.

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WNU Editor: As I remarked in my post on this story yesterday, I know exactly how these people felt in Hawaii when the alert was broadcast .... Panic In Hawaii After A False Alarm Of Incoming Ballistics Missiles Was Issued To People's Cell Phones (January 13, 2018).

Update: This article is spot on .... Pandemonium and Rage in Hawaii (Alia Wong, The Atlantic).

Hawaiian Civil Defense Employee Was Not Aware That He Triggered A Missile Alert Until He Saw It On His Phone

Daily Mail: 'He feels really bad': Civil Defense employee who sparked terror in Hawaii by accidentally triggering ballistic MISSILE warning will be 'retrained' say officials after thousands fled to bomb shelters

* The alert was issued to residents' phones at 8.07am on Saturday morning
* It told them to seek shelter and warned of an 'inbound ballistic missile threat'
* It took 38 minutes for a second phone alert to be issued across the state
* By then, terrified residents had flocked to shelters and into their garages
* Civil Defense employee accidentally hit alert, was unaware until his phone got it
* An FCC investigation into the incident is underway, officials said

A Civil Defense employee is set to be retrained after a shocking blunder on Saturday morning, when a mistaken alert warning of an inbound ballistic missile sent thousands fleeing for shelter.

The false alarm was caused by a Hawaii Emergency Management Agency employee who 'pushed the wrong buttons' during an internal drill timed to coincide with a shift handover at 8.07am. The all-clear phone alert was not sent until 38 minutes later.

Incredibly, officials said the employee who made the mistake wasn't aware of it until mobile phones in the command center began displaying the alert.

Read more ....

Update #1: Hawaii missile false alarm triggers shock, blame and apologies (BBC)
Update #2: From paradise to panic: Hawaii residents and vacationers run for cover, fearing missile attack (CNN)

WNU Editor: Why am I not surprised .... many in the media are blaming President Trump for this false alert .... The false alarm in Hawaii revealed an abdication of leadership by Trump (Washington Post), celebrities and some in Hawaii are piling on .... Trump Blamed For Hawaii False Missile Warning (Inquisitr), and some politicians are demanding that President Trump talk to the North Korean (as if that is going to make a difference) .... Panic over false missile alert shows US must 'absolutely and immediately' talk to North Korea: Congresswoman (ABC News).

Panic In Hawaii After A False Alarm Of Incoming Ballistics Missiles Was Issued To People's Cell Phones

Daily Mail: 'The whole state was terrified': Panic in Hawaii as Civil Defense issues alert for 'inbound ballistic missile threat' which told residents to 'urgently seek shelter' - then takes 37 MINUTES to say it was a false alarm

* The alert was issued to residents' phones at 8.07am on Saturday morning
* It told them to seek shelter and warned of an 'inbound ballistic missile threat'
* Residents called Civil Defense in a panic and were told it was a mistake
* The Hawaii Emergency Management Agency tweeted that it was a false alarm 12 minutes later
* It took 37 minutes for a second phone alert to be issued across the state
* By then, terrified residents had flocked to shelters and into their garages
* Some say they never even received the second message on their phones
* Governor David Ige said the alert was sent out by accident when a Civil Defense employee mistakenly pushed the button during a shift change
* A Federal Communications Commission investigation into the incident is underway

Panic spread through the state of Hawaii on Saturday morning when residents received a phone alert for an 'inbound ballistic missile threat' that was accidentally sent out by Civil Defense but which was not corrected for the best part of an hour.

Scores of confused residents tweeted screenshots of the warnings after receiving the alert at 8.07 local time.

It read: 'BALLISTIC MISSILE THREAT INBOUND TO HAWAII. SEEK IMMEDIATE SHELTER. THIS IS NOT A DRILL'.

A similar message flashed up on local television networks and brought live sports games to a halt.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: I had the exact same experience when I was a teenager in the Soviet Union. It was in the mid-1970s on a weekend in summer and the nuclear sirens went off. I was outside and I sincerely believed that the U.S. and the Soviet Union were at war. I ran to my home and noticed that my parents were not there .... making me even more afraid on what was happening. I put on the radio .... and I was relieved to hear regularly programing. There was a still a part of me that believed the missiles were still going to strike .... but after a few minutes the sirens went-off .... and everything went back to normal. I learned later that there was a glitch in the system that activated the sirens. 50 years later .... I can say with confidence that I am still scarred by that experience.

More News Om Panic In Hawaii After A False Alarm Of Incoming Ballistics Missiles Was Issued To People's Cell Phones

Hawaii officials mistakenly warn of inbound missile -- AP
U.S. military’s Pacific Command says ballistic missile warning sent in error to Hawaii -- Reuters
Warning of ballistic missile inbound to Hawaii a 'false alarm': officials -- AFP
Hawaii Panics After Alert About Incoming Missile Is Sent in Error -- New York Times
Hawaii officials say 'false alarm' on alert about inbound ballistic missile -- The Hill
Hawaii missile alert: False alarm warns residents of "ballistic missile threat" -- CBS News
'This is not a drill': Hawaiians get false alert of missile attack due to worker's pushing 'wrong button' -- ABC News
'The whole state was terrified': How Hawaii reacted to false missile alert -- BBC
'Chaotic and nerve-wracking scene' as people across Hawaii get false alarm of imminent missile attack -- ABC News
Hawaii Dem calls for 'tough and quick accountability' for false alarm -- The Hill
Hawaii rep: False alarm about incoming missile 'taste of the stark reality' -- The Hill