JAPANESE Prime Minister Fumio Kishida vowed to “drastically strengthen our defence capabilities” today following a North Korean ballistic missile launch in the Sea of Japan.
South Korean officials said they believed the missile had been launched from a submarine. Pyongyang’s showcasing its latest military technology is believed to be a reaction to stalled talks over easing US sanctions and to the rapidly growing Western military presence in the Far East, with the US enrolling Japan in the four-nation “Quad” alongside itself, India and Australia to target China.
China said tensions on the Korean peninsula were at a “critical stage” and urged the US to resume talks.
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