North Korea launched second ballistic missile: Japan convenes national security council
North Korea launched its second ballistic missile in the last 24 hours (photo: Getty Images)
North Korea launched its second ballistic missile within the last 24 hours near its eastern coast. In response to this, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has called for a National Security Council meeting, reports The Sun.
The missile is expected to land in the waters west of Japan's main northern island, Hokkaido, at approximately 9:37 am, according to Tokyo officials.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida stated that he has not received reports of injuries or damages resulting from the missile launch and plans to convene a National Security Council meeting to discuss North Korea's actions.
The second launch occurred just hours after South Korea reported that North Korea conducted a test of a short-range ballistic missile into the East Sea.
These launches coincide with negotiations between the United States and South Korea on deepening cooperation to deter North Korea from using nuclear weapons. As part of this collaboration, a U.S. nuclear-powered submarine arrived at a South Korean port on December 17.
Containment of North Korea
The United States and South Korea are working on a joint nuclear defense strategy that aims to establish an integrated deterrence system against North Korea's nuclear weapons by the middle of next year.
They plan to complete the development of comprehensive instructions on how to jointly deter and respond to the nuclear threat from North Korea by next year.
Meanwhile, in the United States, a reminder was issued to North Korea yesterday that the use of nuclear weapons would lead to the end of the regime of the current leader, Kim Jong Un.
