Japan on Sunday condemned North Korea’s launch of multiple ballistic missiles in a press conference, stating that the tests constitute clear violations of United Nations Security Council resolutions and pose a serious threat to public safety and regional security.

According to South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, North Korea launched several ballistic missiles from an area near Pyongyang at approximately 7:54 a.m. local time. The missiles reportedly landed in the East Sea. This marked the first known ballistic missile test by North Korea since November 7, as reported by local media.

In the press conference, Japan’s Minister of Defense, Shinjiro Koizumi, described the launches as a grave security incident directly affecting the safety of the Japanese population and undermining regional stability in Northeast Asia. He confirmed that the Japanese government lodged a diplomatic protest with North Korea through official channels and issued a strong condemnation of the tests.

Koizumi stated that Japan would continue to work closely with the US and South Korea to protect lives and property, emphasizing the importance of intelligence collection, analysis, and continued monitoring of the situation. He also reaffirmed Japan’s commitment to strengthening trilateral security cooperation in response to North Korea’s ongoing missile and weapons development activities.

Following the launches, senior officials from Japan, the US, and South Korea convened a trilateral telephone meeting. Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that Otsuka Kengo, Deputy Director-General of the Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau, participated in the call alongside Baek Yong-jin, Director-General for Korean Peninsula Policy at South Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Dan Cintron, Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary at the US Department of State. The officials jointly reaffirmed that the missile launches violate UNSC resolutions and called on North Korea to immediately cease actions that threaten regional and international security.

North Korea’s missile activity forms part of its ongoing weapons development program, which has repeatedly drawn condemnation from the United Nations. A series of UNSC resolutions, beginning with Resolution 1718, prohibit North Korea from conducting ballistic missile tests. More recently, this year, UN officials raised concerns over North Korea’s continued testing of ballistic and hypersonic missile systems, warning that such actions undermine international nonproliferation efforts and regional security.