TOKYO – North Korea on Tuesday launched two ballistic missiles toward the Sea of Japan, with the projectiles assessed to have fallen outside Japan’s exclusive economic zone, the Japanese government said, adding it has lodged a strong protest.
One of the missiles, launched near North Korea’s western coast at around 3:54 p.m., reached a maximum altitude of approximately 80 kilometers and flew about 350 km, Japan’s Defense Ministry said. Another followed several minutes later and flew nearly as far.
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the missiles, launched from an area in northern Pyongyang, were short-range ballistic missiles.
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said on X that the missiles had no impact on Japan, as they came down off North Korea’s eastern coast. She had earlier instructed relevant government agencies to gather information and ensure the safety of vessels and aircraft.
Tokyo condemned Pyongyang for the ballistic missile launch, calling it a violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions and a threat to the peace and safety of the region as well as Japan.
U.S. Forces Korea said, “We are aware of the missile launches and are consulting closely with our allies and partners.”
“The United States remains committed to the defense of the U.S. homeland and our allies in the region,” it added.
Later Tuesday, Japan’s Foreign Ministry said it conferred with its U.S. and South Korean counterparts by phone over ballistic missile launches by North Korea and confirmed close coordination among them.
Officials of the three countries “called on North Korea to cease such provocations that threaten the peace and security of the region and the international community,” the ministry said in a statement.
On Jan. 4, North Korea launched at least two ballistic missiles from near its capital Pyongyang toward the Sea of Japan. Its official Korean Central News Agency reported the following day that a number of hypersonic missiles were successfully test-fired.
AloJapan.com