Tokyo: On Thursday, a defence ministry official in Tokyo informed reporters that two ballistic missiles fired by North Korea had touched down in waters inside Japan's exclusive economic zone.
The zone extends beyond Japan's territorial waters up to 200 nautical miles from its coast. Kimi Onoda, parliamentary vice-minister of defence, reported that "two ballistic missiles fell inside the EEZ."
After South Korea's military announced the latest in a string of prohibited weapons tests by Pyongyang, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida claimed there had been no reports of damage.
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"Today's launches are a reckless act that escalates provocations against the international community and violate relevant UN Security Council resolutions," Kishida told reporters.
Japan has "lodged a firm protest against North Korea," the speaker continued.
When Pyongyang made what it claimed was a failed attempt to launch a satellite into space two weeks ago, Japan briefly activated its missile alert warning system for the southern Okinawa region.
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State-run media in North Korea reported that the satellite crashed into the water shortly after takeoff because a "accident occurred" while it was in flight.