Kishida: "Want to Confirm Strong Cooperation on North Korea Response at Korea-Japan Summit"

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who visited Lithuania to attend the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit, stated during a summit meeting with President Yoon Suk-yeol on the 12th (local time) that he "wants to confirm the solid cooperation (between the two countries) in responding to North Korea."

President Yoon Suk-yeol, attending the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit, is seen yielding his speaking turn to Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida during the four-nation (AP4) summit of South Korea, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand held at a hotel in Vilnius on the 12th (local time).
[Image source=Yonhap News]

Kyodo News reported that Prime Minister Kishida made this remark to reporters regarding North Korea's launch of a ballistic missile presumed to be an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). Kishida is scheduled to hold talks with President Yoon in Vilnius, where the summit is taking place.

Regarding North Korea's ballistic missile launch, Prime Minister Kishida strongly condemned North Korea's actions, saying, "It is absolutely unacceptable as it threatens the peace and security of Japan and the international community." He also stated that Japan will continue to gather information to determine whether the missile launch had any impact on Japan.

According to the Japanese Ministry of Defense, North Korea launched an ICBM-class ballistic missile at approximately 9:59 a.m. The missile is estimated to have fallen around 250 km west of Okushiri Island, Hokkaido, within Japan's exclusive economic zone (EEZ) at about 11:13 a.m. This marks the 14th time North Korea has launched a missile presumed to be ICBM-class with a range exceeding 5,500 km.

The flight time of the missile was 74 minutes, surpassing the previous longest flight record of 71 minutes set by a missile launched on March 24 last year. The Ministry of Defense stated, "The estimated maximum range of the missile is around 15,000 km," adding, "This means that the entire U.S. mainland is within range."

The Japanese government convened the National Security Council (NSC) in response to the missile launch news. Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno urged thorough efforts in intelligence gathering and surveillance to prepare for additional missile launches.

Meanwhile, the Japan-South Korea summit held on the same day is expected to address the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant contaminated water discharge plan as a major topic of interest alongside cooperation on North Korea.