Tokyo, 30 January, /AJMEDIA/
North Korea fired a ballistic missile on Sunday, the seventh round of missile launches by the country this month, the Japanese government said.
The missile traveled east about 800 kilometers, reaching a maximum altitude of some 2,000 km, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said.
It appears to have splashed down outside Japan’s exclusive economic zone in the Sea of Japan, Matsuno said at a news conference.
The launch was in violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions, and Japan has lodged a strong protest with North Korea, he said.
South Korea’s military also confirmed the launch of what it described as a suspected ballistic missile toward the Sea of Japan.
It was fired at around 7:52 a.m. from the North’s Jagang Province, the South’s military said.
A Japanese government official said there was no immediate report of damage to ships and aircraft in the area.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will convene a meeting of the National Security Council later Sunday in response to the latest launch, according to a government source.
Kishida has instructed the government to provide information to the public swiftly and accurately, check the safety of vessels and planes, and respond to any unexpected development.