The local government and residents in the Japanese prefecture of Fukuoka are clashing over a safety drill that was done in preparation for a possible North Korean missile launch.

Japan's Kyodo News said the Fukuoka Municipal Government conducted the drill Friday morning, using the Japanese government’s J-Alert missile warning system.

During the drill, an emergency message informing citizens of a simulated North Korean missile launch was sent to citizens' mobile phones, with explanations both in Japanese and English that it was a drill.  

But multiple civic groups there demanded the local government suspend the drill, saying the exercise is causing unnecessary anxiety.

Civic groups rallied against the move at various sites including Tenjin Central Park, holding picket signs that read “opposition to the drill” or “don’t fuel the crisis of war.” 

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