Japanese Government Protests North Korea’s Ballistic Missile Launch

The Japanese government has lodged a protest with North Korea over its newest missile launch, government spokesman Yoshihide Suga said Sunday.

TOKYO (Sputnik) — An unidentified ballistic missile blasted off earlier in the day from the North’s Banghyon air base in the the western province of North Pyongan and flew toward Japan.

The Japanese government official has confirmed the launch, according to the national Kyodo news agency, but said the projectile had fallen into the sea outside Japan's exclusive economic zone and had not caused any damage.

Japanese defense chief Tomomi Inada said Japan’s Defense Ministry is monitoring the situation after the launch and is collecting information on it.

"The ministry is collecting and analyzing information, we are closely monitoring the situation," Defense Minister Inada said as quoted by the Kyodo news agency.

South Korea’s Yonhap news agency, which was the first to report the missile test citing the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the projectile had flown slightly over 300 miles before plunging into the water.

"The military is determining if the missile is a modified Musudan intermediate-range ballistic missile or the shorter range Rodong missile," a military source told the outlet.

North Korea has conducted a number of missile launches in the past months as well as its firth and biggest nuclear test last September, prompting condemnation from neighbors and the United Nations.