Tokyo.- Japan convened its National Security Council on Wednesday, after North Korea launched several missiles, one of which fell for the first time in southern territorial watersgreatly increasing the tension in the area.
“These repeated missile launches with such high frequency are unacceptable,” said the Japanese prime minister, Fumio Kishidafrom Kantei, the official residence and office of the head of the Japanese government, calling the meeting shortly after the launch “due to rising tensions on the Korean Peninsula.”
These North Korean tests “are happening more often than ever,” Japanese government spokesman Hirokazu Matsuno later said, revealing that during the meeting, in addition to analyzing the launch, they discussed how to proceed in the future “in the face of increasing tensions on the neighboring peninsula.”
Matsuno refrained from providing further details about the meeting, but said Tokyo believed Pyongyang would “be more proactive” in its tests from now on, including a rumored new nuclear test, and said the Japanese government “continues to work closely with United States of America and South Korea” in this scenario.
Japanese Defense Minister, Yasukazu Hamadaone of the first members of Japan’s executive branch to appear after today’s launches were revealed, called North Korea’s actions “a threat to the peace and security of Japan, the region and the international community,” and said Tokyo had already protested against Pyongyang through diplomatic channels through Beijing.
North Korea today launched three short-range ballistic missiles, one of which landed in South Korean territorial waters for the first time since the peninsula was divided after the Korean War (1950-1953), and according to South Korean military sources, it would test up to 10 different types of projectiles.
Read also: Tensions rise over North Korean missile launches; South Korean president condemns “territorial invasion”
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