If the strategic goal of North Korea is to reunite the Koreas, why would they fire rockets over Japan?
If you are China, and North Korea is your puppet, you fire rockets over Japan to keep them worried.
North Korea is China’s puppet.
You nailed it. NK is China’s junkyard dog and they let it off leash to terrorize the neighbors.
RE: If you are China, and North Korea is your puppet, you fire rockets over Japan to keep them worried.
And why would China want to do that? Don’t they trade with Japan? Doesn’t Japan have lots of factories in China?
I think you have it backwards. Firing missiles over Japan is a form of shakedown. What the Norks want is money. As long as they can keep the Chinese subsidizing them they can stay in power. They keep the cash flowing by keeping the Chinese afraid of what will happen if their regime collapses, or if it provokes a conflict with the US and its allies in the region.