On November 29, DP President Kouhei Ohtsuka issued the following statement.
At approximately 3.18 a.m. today, a ballistic missile was launched by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) from the western coast of that country, crashing into the Sea of Japan at a location within Japan’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). This totally unacceptable act poses an extremely grave threat to the peace and stability of both Japan and the region. We strongly protest the DPRK’s behavior.
The DPRK has clearly violated successive United Nations Security Council resolutions. The international community must take concerted action to make it clear to the DPRK that engaging in this kind of provocative behavior at a time when we are calling for them to cease such activities and abandon their ballistic missile program is an extremely regrettable provocation, which we strongly condemn.
The Japanese government must deal with this situation by cooperating closely with the nations concerned; liaising closely with the United States, as well as holding discussions with the Republic of Korea, China and Russia. We will focus on an international response centered around the United States.