Japan: "North Korea missile launch poses serious threat to Japan's security... Comprehensive review of debris recovery"

The Japanese government stated on the 16th that the two short-range ballistic missiles (SRBMs) launched by North Korea the previous day fell within Japan's exclusive economic zone (EEZ), calling it "an unprecedented frequency of ballistic missile launches by North Korea, posing a serious threat to Japan's security" and that it is "absolutely unacceptable."

The debris of the space launch vehicle 'Cheollima 1', launched by North Korea on the 16th using ballistic missile technology, was recovered from the West Sea 15 days after it fell.
[Photo by Joint Chiefs of Staff]

At a morning press conference, Chief Cabinet Secretary Matsuno Hirokazu responded to related questions by saying, "Japan will continue to cooperate with the international community, including the United States and South Korea," and added, "We will promote the strengthening of regional deterrence and response capabilities, including Japan-US security cooperation, and the full implementation of United Nations Security Council resolutions, aiming for the denuclearization of North Korea."

According to the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff and Japan's Ministry of Defense, North Korea launched two SRBMs from the Sunan area near Pyongyang toward the East Sea between 7:24 and 7:37 p.m. the previous day. According to the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff, the missiles flew approximately 780 km, while Japan's Ministry of Defense reported a flight distance of 850 to 900 km before falling into the East Sea. This location is inside Japan's EEZ.

When asked how North Korea's ballistic missile launches would affect the Japanese government's efforts to promote a North Korea-Japan summit, Minister Matsuno said, "Japan's response to North Korea is as stated by the Prime Minister at the meeting held on the 27th of last month," expressing the intention to continue pursuing the summit. Earlier, Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio expressed hope for high-level talks with North Korea to realize an early North Korea-Japan summit with Kim Jong-un, Chairman of the State Affairs Commission of North Korea, at the "National Rally Urging the Return of Japanese Abductees" held on the 27th of last month.

Meanwhile, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Isozaki Yoshihiko said at an afternoon press conference that regarding questions about whether Japan plans to recover ballistic missile debris as South Korea did with North Korea's space launch vehicle debris, "It is necessary to make a judgment after comprehensively considering technical perspectives based on the situation of the fall area." He added, "While we fully understand the importance of debris recovery due to the possibility of obtaining various information related to the latest technological trends in North Korean missile development," he expressed a reserved stance, saying, "Recovery operations in deep sea involve difficulties."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.