TOKYO - North Korea launched around a dozen short-range ballistic missiles eastward from an area near Pyongyang on Thursday, South Korea's military said.
Japan's Defense Ministry said multiple missiles traveled approximately 320 kilometers and reached a maximum altitude of about 90 km. Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi, who is visiting New Delhi, told reporters that Tokyo has lodged a strong protest with Pyongyang.
"The missiles are believed to have fallen outside Japan's exclusive economic zone, and we are working closely with the United States and South Korea to analyze the details," Koizumi said.
The latest launches came amid a large-scale military exercise by the United States and South Korea being conducted through Friday to prepare for a contingency on the Korean Peninsula.
The exercise, originally scheduled to run through Aug. 27, was shortened at the direction of U.S. President Donald Trump.
But Kim Yo Jong, the influential younger sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, said in a statement carried by Pyongyang's official media that downsizing the exercise does not change its hostile nature.
In Tokyo, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi instructed relevant government agencies to make every effort to gather and analyze information, provide the public with accurate updates and ensure the safety of aircraft and vessels.
It was North Korea's third launch of ballistic missiles this month, following launches on Aug. 6 and Aug. 12.
