[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Suhwan] Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on the 19th that he "deeply regrets" North Korea's launch of two ballistic missiles.
According to Kyodo News on the same day, Prime Minister Kishida told reporters in Fukushima City, "North Korea launched two ballistic missiles into the East Sea today," adding, "It is very regrettable that North Korea has been continuously launching missiles since last month."
Prime Minister Kishida also added that no damage caused by the missiles launched by North Korea has been confirmed.
Earlier, NHK reported that immediately after North Korea's ballistic missile launch was confirmed, the government held an emergency meeting at the Prime Minister's Office around 10:30 a.m., attended by officials from the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, stating, "The government is collecting additional information related to the ballistic missile launch."
Yoshihiko Isozaki, Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary, stated at a regular press conference that North Korea launched ballistic missiles and that Japan lodged a protest with North Korea through the Beijing embassy channel.
South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff announced that North Korea launched an unidentified projectile into the East Sea on the same day but did not provide specific details.
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