North Korea’s Missile Test Launch Leaves Japan’s Territorial Waters Unaffected, Reports Say

TOKYO (Sputnik) - The new long-range missile that was test-fired by North Korea over the weekend did not reach Japan’s airspace or territorial waters and did not enter its exclusive economic zone, the NHK broadcaster reports citing government sources.

In the early hours of Monday, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported that North Korea tested a new type of a long-range cruise missile over the weekend. The launched long-range cruise missiles flew 1,500 kilometers (932 miles) before hitting the targets.

NHK said citing military sources on Monday that with such a range, the new type of missile appears to be capable of reaching Tokyo.

Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato told reporters on Monday that the Japanese government is concerned about the new test launch, since, if the 1,500-kilometer range is proved to be correct, it poses a threat to regional security and global stability.

Kato said that Japan is closely cooperating with the US and South Korea on the issue of North Korean military activity.

Earlier, the Pentagon said that it was aware of reports on North Korea’s cruise missile test launches and warned that such activity is a threat to Pyongyang's neighbours and the international community.

South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said as cited by the South Korean Yonhap news agency on Monday that an in-depth analysis of the test-launches was underway in close cooperation with US intelligence authorities.

North Korea test-fired the new missiles on Saturday and Sunday, according to KCNA, which said that the test-firing was successful and was the result of two years of preparatory work and research. The weekend tests of the long-range cruise missiles were overseen by senior North Korean officials.