Photo/Illutration North Korea’s test launches an intercontinental ballistic missile known as a Mars type 17 on March 24. This photo was distributed by the Korean Central News Agency. (Korea News Service)

Japan denounced North Korea for a flurry of ballistic missile launches in rapid succession on June 5, calling the salvo of at least six projectiles “totally unacceptable” and warning it will “drastically bolster” its defense capability to deal with such emergencies.

“It is unusual that such a large number of missiles were fired from more than three places over a short period,” said Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi. “It is totally unacceptable.”

Kishi said Japan had filed a strong protest through diplomatic channels at its embassy in Beijing, where North Korea also has diplomatic representation.

Japan and North Korea do not have formal diplomatic relations.

The launches took place from 9:06 a.m. to 9:41 a.m. from sites near the country’s west coast, inland and near the east coast, according to the Defense Ministry.

Each projectile had a range of 300 to 400 kilometers.

After reaching a maximum altitude of between 50 km and 100 km, they all apparently came down in waters outside of Japan’s exclusive economic zone.

Some of them may have been equipped with trajectory-shifting technology, according to the ministry.

North Korea fired seven ballistic missiles in a single day in 2006 and 2009.

But the latest development marked the first time for North Korea to launch missiles from three separate sites around the same time.

“Considering the past cases, the launches were clearly aimed at improving the country’s capability of firing a stream of missiles,” Kishi said. “Japan will drastically bolster its defense capability for every conceivable situation by weighing all possible options, including the ability to strike enemy bases.”

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who was visiting Fukushima Prefecture the same day, also condemned North Korea’s action, saying it undermined the peace and stability of the region and international community.

Touching on a scheduled foreign minister-level meeting involving Japan, the United States and South Korea on June 8, Kishida said Japan will continue to work to align the two allies to gather and share intelligence, patrol and carry out aerial surveillance of North Korea.

Takehiro Funakoshi, the director-general of the Japanese Foreign Ministry’s Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau, said he spoke with officials of the U.S. and South Korean governments on June 5 to discuss the latest provocation.

He said the three parties agreed to continue working toward the goal of completely denuclearizing North Korea by strengthening their security cooperation and deterrence in the region and coordinating their response at the United Nations.

(This article was written by Naoki Matsuyama and Shino Matsuyama.)