Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has condemned North Korea for firing a suspected intercontinental ballistic missile on Friday that landed in his country’s exclusive economic zone.
The Japanese coast guard said the missile landed about 210 km from an island north of Hokkaido. There were no reports of damage to ships or aircraft.
“We have naturally lodged a strong protest against North Korea, which has repeated its provocations with unprecedented frequency,” Kishida told reporters in Thailand, where he is attending the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit meeting. His remarks were broadcast live in Japan.
“We have told (Pyongyang) that we absolutely cannot tolerate such actions,” Kishida said.
“Japan, the US and South Korea must coordinate closely to work towards the complete denuclearization of North Korea.”
The launch came a day after North Korea fired a short-range ballistic missile as it warned of “fierce military responses” to US efforts to increase its security presence in the region with its allies, saying Washington was making a “bet he’ll regret.”
Japan’s defense ministry said in a statement on Friday that “North Korea launched an ICBM-class ballistic missile from near the western coast of the Korean Peninsula at around 10:14 (01:14 GMT) today.” .
Seoul-based specialist site NK News reported that photos and videos taken from Pyongyang showed a white trail in the sky that was visible from the city.
South Korea’s National Security Council met on Friday to discuss the suspected ICBM launch, the presidential office said.
The launch was North Korea’s second ICBM test this month. Outside experts said an ICBM launched by North Korea on November 3 failed mid-flight.
This test was believed to involve a new type of ICBM in development.
North Korea has two other types of ICBMs: Hwasong-14 and Hwasong-15 and their test launches in 2017 showed that they could reach parts of the North American continent.
North Korea has carried out a record number of such tests this year, which are banned by UN Security Council resolutions that have sanctioned the country for its missile and nuclear weapons programs.
The North also fired hundreds of artillery shells into the sea recently as South Korea and the United States conducted drills, some of which involved Japan.
The country had halted weapons launches for about a week before Thursday’s test, which was preceded by the North’s Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui threatening “fiercer” military responses.
Choe was referring to US President Joe Biden’s recent trilateral summit with his South Korean and Japanese counterparts on the sidelines of a regional meeting in Cambodia.
In their joint statement, the three leaders strongly condemned North Korea’s recent missile tests and agreed to work together to strengthen deterrence. Biden reaffirmed the US commitment to defend South Korea and Japan with a full range of capabilities, including their nuclear weapons.
On Thursday evening, Kishida said he had expressed “serious concerns” to Chinese President Xi Jinping about security issues, including North Korea, after the two leaders held their first face-to-face talks.
“In North Korea, I expressed our expectation that China would play a role, including in the UN Security Council.”