These missiles are in outer space, at the altitude of the ISS or higher. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_North_Korean_missile_tests#/media/File:Trajector

These missiles are in outer space, at the altitude of the ISS or higher. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_North_Korean_missile_tests#/media/File:Trajectory_of_Hwasong-12.svg https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_North_Korean_missile_t... (*old* ICBM tests, not today's one) - There's no extant technology to shoot them down; - They're not in Japanese airspace or territory (does not extend to orbital altitude); - If they were to crash in Japan by mistake, there's no benefit in shooting at them, because they'd be untargeted debris with no warheads. An anti-missile missile is just additional debris with extra steps.