NOKOR FIRES 2 BALLISTIC MISSILES --- SUGA

North Korea on Thursday fired two ballistic missiles from its territory, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said, according to Kyodo News.

Suga instructed relevant officials to continue gathering information on North Korea's latest ballistic missile launch, its first since March 29, 2020, and disclose it to the public while confirming naval and air traffic are safe.

The missiles, launched from North Korea's east coast, are likely to have landed outside Japanese territory and its exclusive economic zone, a Japanese government official said.

South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said two projectiles were fired into the Sea of Japan, but no other details were immediately known.

Suga called a meeting of the National Security Council to discuss his government's response.

The development comes after the U.S. and South Korean governments said North Korea tested a short-range weapons system last weekend.

While U.S. officials saw the weekend test as "normal military activity," launching a ballistic missile violates U.N. Security Council resolutions.

U.S. President Joe Biden's administration is reviewing its policy toward North Korea, and national security advisers from the United States, Japan, and South Korea plan to meet next week in Washington to coordinate approaches.

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