TOKYO, March 6. /TASS/. The authorities of Japan resolutely denounce the launch of four ballistic missiles, which North Korea test fired on Monday morning, Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said.

"This is a serious threat to the security of our country and we resolutely denounce such actions on behalf of North Korea," the Japanese premier said.

"Today’s missile launches are an obvious demonstration that this is a completely new level of threat," Abe said adding that the launched missiles covered a distance of some 1,000 kilometers (over 620 miles).

The prime minister added that the relevant bodies continue gathering data regarding the launches and that he intended to convene the country’s Security Council for an extraordinary session later in the day.

Chief Cabinet Secretary of Japan Yoshihide Suga said earlier in the day that North Korea test launched four ballistic missiles into the Sea of Japan. Three of them landed in the exclusive economic zone of Japan, according to Suga.

The South Korean Defense Ministry’s initially reported that an unidentified projectile, which could be an intercontinental ballistic missile, was launched shortly after 7:30 a.m. local time from an area, located near North Korea’s Dongchang-ri long-range missile site.

On February 12, North Korea test-launched an intermediate-range missile into the Sea of Japan. The launch was denounced by Japan, South Korea and the United States, while the Russian government expressed its concern as well.