Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe says his government has strongly protested against North Korea's ballistic missile launch on Monday.
 
Noting that three of the four missiles were dropped in Japan's exclusive economic zone(EEZ), Abe told reporters that the launch is a clear violation of UN Security Council resolutions.
 
The Japanese prime minister said Tokyo will closely cooperate with Seoul and Washington to strongly demand that the North refrain from nuclear tests and missile launches.
 
Abe said the latest firing shows that the North has become a new level of threat.
 
He said he will convene a National Security Council meeting to discuss measures following an Upper House Budget Committee meeting.
 
He said the launch into the East Sea was extremely dangerous as there could have been fishing boats around the area. 

[Photo : ]