Japan PM Kishida says North Korean missile fell in exclusive economic waters

Fumio Kishida called the launch "absolutely unacceptable", saying there had been no reports of damage to ships or aircraft.

November 18, 2022 09:06 am | Updated 01:35 pm IST - Tokyo

Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.

Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. | Photo Credit: AFP

A suspected intercontinental ballistic missile launched by North Korea on Friday is believed to have fallen in Japan's exclusive economic waters, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said.

Kishida called the launch "absolutely unacceptable", saying there had been no reports of damage to ships or aircraft.

"The ballistic missile launched by North Korea is believed to have landed in our EEZ (exclusive economic zone) west of Hokkaido," Kishida told reporters in Bangkok, where he is attending a regional summit.

The EEZ extends up to 200 nautical miles from Japan's coastline, beyond the limits of its territorial waters. The Japanese defence ministry had earlier said the missile was "ICBM-class".

It was North Korea's second launch in two days, as the isolated state continues a record-breaking blitz that has sent fears of a nuclear test soaring.

"We made a stern protest to North Korea. They're repeating provocative actions with unprecedented frequency. We strongly state again that this is absolutely unacceptable," Kishida said.

"Japan, the US and South Korea must coordinate closely to work toward the complete denuclearisation of North Korea," he added.

On Thursday evening, Kishida said he had expressed "serious concerns" to Chinese President Xi Jinping on security issues including North Korea after the two leaders held their first face-to-face talks.

"On North Korea, I expressed our expectation that China will play a role, including in the UN security council," Kishida told reporters after Thursday's talks with Xi on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum in Thailand.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.