Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida strongly criticized North Korea for the passage of a North Korean ballistic missile through the Japanese archipelago.
Prime Minister Kishida told reporters at the Prime Minister's residence on the morning of the 4th that it appears that a North Korean missile passed through the Japanese archipelago and fell into the Pacific Ocean.
He described North Korea's behavior as "violence," and said that he "strongly condemns it."
Prime Minister Kishida said that he had ordered the identification of damage caused by the North Korean missile launch, information collection, and linkage with related countries.
The Japanese government decided to hold the National Security Council (NSC) this morning to discuss responses to the North Korean missile launch.
Earlier this morning, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said at an emergency press conference following the launch of a North Korean missile, that the North Korean missile had passed through the Japanese archipelago and appeared to have landed in the Pacific Ocean.
Minister Matsuno criticized North Korea's launch of ballistic missiles as a violation of the UN Security Council's sanctions against North Korea, and especially, the passage through the Japanese archipelago was an act that threatened the safety of Japanese residents.