TOKYO, July 19. /TASS/. North Korea’s ballistic missile launches are a threat to global security and violate UN Security Council resolutions, Japanese Defense Minister Gen Nakatani told reporters on Tuesday.

"Ballistic missile launches by North Korea threaten the security of Japan and the entire international community. They also violate UN Security Council resolutions," Nakatani said. The missiles plunged into the Sea of Japan and failed to cause any damage, he added.

An emergency government headquarters was set up in Japan in response to North Korea’s ballistic missile launches. Tokyo sent a protest to Pyongyang via diplomatic channels in Beijing.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said that North Korea fired missiles from the Hwangju region. The first two missiles were believed to be short-range Scuds while the third was a mid-range Nodong.

South Korea’s Foreign Ministry earlier announced that Seoul and Washington had agreed to deploy THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense) weaponry in South Korea to counter the threat from North Korea. The General Staff of the Korean People’s Army condemned this decision and pledged to take "the toughest physical counter-measures" in response.