LOC10:17
07:17 GMT
TOKYO, July 19 (KUNA) -- Japan on Tuesday sharply criticized North Korea's ballistic missile launches earlier in the day, urging the country to exercise self-restraint.
"The action was extremely problematic, as it was a serious threat to the safety of aircraft and ships navigating in the areas," Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told a press conference.
North Korea fired three ballistic missiles into the sea off its east coast on Tuesday morning. "Japan will demand North Korea to exercise restraint in close coordination with the US, South Korea and other related countries," the top government spokesman said.
Suga also said Tokyo lodged a protest with North Korea through diplomatic channels in Beijing. According to the government, no damage to Japanese aircraft or ships in nearby areas has been reported.
Separately, Defense Minister Gen Nakatani told reporters that the missile launches clearly violate UN resolutions and cannot be tolerated by any means. Noting that Pyongyang strongly opposes a recent decision by Seoul and Washington to deploy the advanced US missile defense system, called the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD), to South Korea's southeastern region, Nakatani said, "We cannot deny the possibility that North Korea will take further military action."
The South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said that the three ballistic missiles, Scud or Rodong types, were launched between 5:45 a.m. and 6:40 a.m. (2045 and 2140 Monday GMT), with two flying some 500 to 600 kilometers, according to the Seoul-based Yonhap News Agency.
The United States Strategic Command said in a statement released earlier in the day that the North launched two Scud tactical ballistic missiles and then one Rodong medium-range ballistic missile. (end).
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