TOKYO, September 15. /TASS/. North Korea presumably launched two ballistic missiles one after the other towards the Sea of Japan on Wednesday, the Japanese coast guards said.
The interval between the two launches is estimated at about five minutes. According to the military, everything suggests that the missiles fell outside Japanese territorial waters and the exclusive economic zone.
Meanwhile, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga told reporters that the government believed the missiles launched by North Korea towards the Sea of Japan were ballistic.
"This is an outrageous act, which poses a threat to stability and security of our country and the region," he noted. Suga said that he would convene an emergency meeting of the National Security Council on Wednesday to discuss the situation. The prime minister also described North Korea’s missile launches as "a violation of the current UN Security Council resolutions," stressing that Tokyo condemns these moves.
He ordered all relevant ministries to inform the local population about all the details related to new missile tests promptly and accurately. Suga also ordered to ensure the safety of all ships and civil aircraft in the launch area.
On Monday, North Korea announced successful tests of a new long-range cruise missile on September 11 and 12. According to KCNA news agency, targets were hit at a distance of 1,500 km. In light of that, the Japanese government said that, if the missile was indeed capable of covering that distance, that poses an imminent threat to peace and Japan’s security. It also vowed to continue strengthening the country’s defense capacity.