At the United Nations, U.S. Ambassador Samantha Power told reporters Wednesday that “we expect to be calling an emergency meeting of the Security Council for later this afternoon with our Japanese colleagues”.
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Metal casing that is likely from the North Korean missile that crashed into Japan’s exclusive economic zone in the Sea of Japan was spotted 280 kilometers west of the Oga Peninsula in Akita Prefecture on August 3.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe strongly condemned the attack, describing it as a “grave threat” and “an outrageous act that can not be tolerated”. “This provocation only serves to increase the global community’s resolve to counter [North Korea’s] prohibited activities, including through implementing existing U.N. Security Council sanctions”, said Gary Ross, a Pentagon spokesman and naval commander.
The North later said the launches were part of an exercise simulating preemptive strikes against South Korean ports and airfields used by the USA military.
According to a report from CBS News, North Korea has staged another missile launch, and this time, it barely missed Japan.
North Korea fired two ballistic missiles from its eastern shore on Wednesday morning.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s administration is finalising the details to maintain the order, which is commonly issued when a missile has been launched or preparations for a launch were detected, Efe news reported. The United States, Japan and 10 other countries have requested a UN investigation of North Korea’s ballistic missile tests in a move that could lead to targeted sanctions, according to a joint letter obtained by AFP yesterday.
Tensions on the divided Korean peninsula are also building up ahead of an annual South Korea-US military exercise later this month that involves tens of thousands of troops.
Japan’s UN Ambassador Koro Bessho said he wants to make it clear to the council that “shooting a missile at us – it fell short, but it is a major threat to our national security”.
China’s U.N. Ambassador Liu Jieyi said that nothing should be done to exacerbate tensions on the Korean Peninsula. North Korea has tested four nuclear bombs since 2006, most recently in January this year.
North Korea fired a ballistic missile off Japanese waters following South Korea’s plan to deploy American anti-missile system. “We remain prepared to defend ourselves and our allies from any attack or provocation”. The upgraded PAC-3 is said to be necessary to counter the North Korean Musudan intermediate-range ballistic missile.
On June 23, the council adopted a statement condemning North Korea for two medium-range missile tests. But South Korean defense officials say Pyongyang does not yet have such a miniaturized warhead.
The government harshly protested to North Korea through diplomatic channels.
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The three defense officials who attended the teleconference were Park Cheol-kyun, deputy director general for the MND’s International Policy Bureau; Christopher Johnstone, principal director for East Asia at the U.S. Department of Defense; and Koji Kano, principal director of defense policy bureau at the Japan Ministry of Defense, the statement said.
