TOYKO — North Korea launched multiple ballistic missiles Wednesday that are believed to have fallen outside of Japan’s exclusive economic zone in the Sea of Japan, with no damage to aircraft or vessels reported, the Japanese government said.
The missiles, launched around 6:53 a.m. and 7:23 a.m. from an inland location, fell off the eastern coast of North Korea, according to the Defense Ministry.
The South Korean military said North Korea had fired short-range ballistic missiles northeastward from the Kaechon area in South Phyongan Province near Pyongyang that flew about 400 kilometers.
Japanese Defense Minister Minoru Kihara told reporters that Tokyo had lodged a stern protest with Pyongyang, saying the missile tests, which followed multiple launches on Thursday, were “a clear violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions.
Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Hiroshi Moriya said at a press conference that North Korea had launched ballistic missiles consecutively over a short period of time and its missile development is “totally unacceptable.”
The ministry said Japan, the United States and South Korea were working together to determine the altitude reached by the missiles, among other details.
Senior Japanese, U.S. and South Korean officials in charge of North Korean issues held phone talks, strongly condemning the firings for threatening the peace and safety of the international community, while reaffirming their close cooperation, the Japanese Foreign Ministry said.
Meanwhile, the Associated Press reported that North Korea has ramped up its weapons testing activities since 2022 to expand and modernize its arsenal of nuclear missiles targeting the U.S. and South Korea. The allies have expanded their combined military exercises and are updating their nuclear deterrence strategies based on U.S. assets to counter the North’s growing threat.
Analysts say North Korea leader Kim Jong Un’s long-term goal is to force the United States to accept the idea of the North as a nuclear power and negotiate economic and security concessions from a position of strength.
While disclosing the uranium enrichment facility last week, Kim called for stronger efforts to “exponentially” increase its number of nuclear weapons in the face of what he described as U.S. threats. State media published photos that showed Kim talking with military officials and scientists between long lone lines of centrifuges used to produce weapons-grade uranium, but the reports didn’t say where the facility was located or when Kim made the visit.
Analysts say North Korea could conduct a nuclear test explosion or long-range missile test ahead of the U.S. presidential election in November with the intent of influencing the outcome and increasing its leverage in future dealings with the new U.S. administration.
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