Ministry of Defense Announces "Fall Outside Japan's EEZ"
Trilateral US-Japan-South Korea Director-Level Call Also States "North Korea's Launch Is a Challenge to the International Community"
The Japanese government announced on the 12th that the ballistic missile launched by North Korea into the East Sea appears to have fallen outside Japan's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).
According to NHK, the Ministry of Defense stated in a press release that "the intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM)-class ballistic missile launched by North Korea at around 9:59 a.m. is estimated to have fallen at around 11:13 a.m. approximately 250 km west of Okushiri Island, Hokkaido," adding, "It is believed to have fallen outside Japan's EEZ."
The Ministry of Defense also said, "The ballistic missile launched by North Korea today is ICBM-class with a range exceeding 15,000 km," and "It is capable of reaching the entire United States."
NHK also reported that the flight time of this missile was 74 minutes, the longest ever for a missile launched from North Korea.
In response to the news of North Korea's missile launch, the Japanese government convened the National Security Council (NSC) on the same day. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who is on an overseas trip, received the news of the launch and instructed "prompt information sharing and confirmation of the safety of aircraft and ships," according to Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno. Matsuno convened the NSC and urged thorough vigilance and monitoring in preparation for any additional missile launches by North Korea.
In a subsequent press conference, he stated, "North Korea consistently shows an intention to strengthen its nuclear missile capabilities," and "We believe there is a possibility of further provocative acts such as various missile launches and nuclear tests in the future."
He also added, "Just a moment ago, there was a trilateral telephone consultation at the director-general level among Japan, the United States, and South Korea," and "We will closely cooperate with the international community, including the United Nations Security Council, the United States, and South Korea."
The director-general level telephone consultation included Takehiro Funakoshi, Director-General for Asian and Oceanian Affairs at the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Sung Kim, U.S. Special Representative for North Korea; and Kim Gun, Director-General of the South Korean Office for Peace and Negotiations on the Korean Peninsula.
NHK reported, "They strongly condemned North Korea's ballistic missile launch," and "They shared the recognition that the repeated launches at an unprecedented frequency and manner pose a serious threat to regional security and are a challenge to the international community."
Earlier on the same day, the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff announced that North Korea had launched a ballistic missile into the East Sea.
Kim Yo-jong, Deputy Director of the North Korean Workers' Party, recently issued a statement threatening military response if the U.S. Air Force's strategic reconnaissance aircraft repeatedly violated North Korea's East Sea EEZ airspace.
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