Japan's Ministry of Defense announced that at around 6:36 a.m. today (October 3), North Korea fired at least one ballistic missile, which is estimated to have fallen into the sea outside the country's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).

According to NHK and Kyodo News, the Defense Ministry stated that the North Korean missile launched on this day reached a maximum altitude of about 90 km, flew approximately 680 km, and is estimated to have fallen outside Japan's EEZ.

It was reported that no damage to aircraft or vessels has been confirmed so far.

The Defense Ministry stated that North Korea's ballistic missile launch violated United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions, and that it has lodged a stern protest and strongly condemned North Korea.

Immediately following the North Korean ballistic missile launch, Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae instructed officials to focus on gathering and analyzing information, providing swift information updates, and ensuring the safety of aircraft and vessels.

The Japanese government reportedly convened an emergency response team composed of officials from relevant ministries at the Prime Minister's Office Crisis Management Center to gather and verify information.