North Korea says it conducted the previous day a "surprise" drill of the Hwasong-15 intercontinental ballistic missile on a lofted trajectory amid military threats from the United States and South Korea.
The foreign ministers of Japan, the United States and South Korea "strongly condemned" North Korea's latest firing of an ICBM-class missile, pledging to work closely together to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula, the Japanese Foreign Ministry says.
The United States has shared a draft document with the U.N. Security Council for possible adoption as a presidential statement criticizing North Korea over its test-launch of an intercontinental balliistic missile last month.
North Korea has launched two suspected ballistic missiles, the Japanese government says, as Pyongyang steps up its missile and weapons development programs in the face of tougher international sanctions.
The U.N. Security Council remains split over how to deal with North Korea s continued launches of ballistic missiles, failing to overcome the gap among veto-wielding permanent members.