On the morning of the 26th, amid North Korea’s missile provocation towards the East Sea, Japan and the United States immediately expressed strong opposition.
According to Yonhap News, public broadcasters NHK and Kyodo News in Japan reported that the Japanese Ministry of Defense announced the news of North Korea’s ballistic missile launch.
The Ministry of Defense announced that North Korea had launched at least one ballistic missile from inland, which flew more than 124 miles at a maximum altitude of approximately 62 miles.
The North Korean missile landed outside Japan’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).
The Japan Coast Guard urged vessels at sea to pay attention to related information.
So far, the Japan Coast Guard has reported that there has been no confirmed damage to ships.
The Japanese government stated, “The launch of the ballistic missile is a serious issue related to the safety of (Japanese) citizens, and we sternly protest and strongly condemn North Korea regarding this issue.”
The U.S. government also said, “We are aware of North Korea’s ballistic missile launch,” and urged restraint from additional security threats.
The U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, which oversees U.S. forces in Korea, emphasized in a statement that day, “The United States condemns these actions and calls on the DPRK to refrain from further unlawful and destabilizing acts.”
The Indo-Pacific Command added, “We are consulting closely with the ROK and Japan,” and “The U.S. commitments to the defense of the ROK and Japan remain ironclad.”
It also explained, “While we have assessed that this event does not pose an immediate threat to U.S. personnel, territory, or our allies, we continue to monitor the situation.”
Earlier, the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff announced that North Korea had launched an unidentified ballistic missile from the Pyongyang area towards the East Sea, but it is believed to have failed.
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