North Korea fired a ballistic missile Monday that is believed to have fallen into Japan’s exclusive economic zone in the Sea of Japan, in the latest in a series of weapons tests in defiance of the international community, the Japanese government said.
Pyongyang’s latest missile launch comes days after the Group of Seven leaders agreed in their weekend summit meeting in Italy to press the country to abandon its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile development.
“We cannot tolerate North Korea’s repeated provocations in defiance of warnings from the international society,” Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told reporters in his office.
Noting that North Korea is a “matter of high priority in the international society as agreed in the G-7 meeting,” Abe expressed readiness to closely cooperate with the United States, South Korea and others to curb the country’s provocations.
It is the fourth time, if confirmed, that a North Korean ballistic missile fell into Japan’s EEZ.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told a press conference the launch is also a “clear violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions” prohibiting North Korea from such activities.
The missile was fired from North Korea’s eastern coastal city of Wonsan around 5:40 a.m. and flew around 400 kilometers, the top government spokesman said, adding there were no reports of damage to aircraft or ships in the area.
The South Korean military, meanwhile, said the missile flew around 450 km with the maximum altitude of some 560 km and it is believed to be either a Scud short-range missile or a Scud-ER intermediate range missile capable of striking western Japan.
The Japanese government held its National Security Council meeting following the missile launch and Abe called for gathering information on the missile launch, steps to ensure the safety of airplanes and vessels, and keeping alert for any unexpected contingencies, Suga said.
Source: Nikkei Image: NHK
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