(VOVworld) – US President Donald Trump said he wants everybody to understand and fully know that the US stands behind Japan, its great ally, 100%. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who is visiting the US, said North Korea’s latest missile launch is “absolutely intolerable”. The two leaders’ statements were made on Sunday at a joint press conference in Florida.

US President Donald Trump (right) and Japanese Prime Minister  Shinzo Abe (left) at a press conference in Palm Beach, Florida. (Photo: AFP/VNA)

The same day, Japan’s chief cabinet secretary Yoshihide Suga said Japan has lodged protest against North Korea’s missile launch. At an urgent meeting, he said the missile did not land within Japan’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ), saying that it was a provocation to Japan and the region, which happened immediately after the US-Japan summit.

The South Korea’s Foreign Ministry condemned the incident, saying that it has threatened peace and stability in the region, adding that North Korea has clearly violated the UN Security Council resolutions. South Korea’s acting leader, Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn, said Sould is trying its best to respond with the relevant punishments. A South Korean military source reported that they were trying to determine whether the missile was an intermediate-range model, like the Musudan, or a shorter-range Rodong. They added that it might not be an Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM).