Japan, US, South Korea discuss North Korea's ballistic missile launch

Japan, the United States and South Korea discussed North Korea's ballistic missile launch during a trilateral phone call on Friday, a day after Pyongyang fired the missile.

Japan's Foreign Ministry said Takashi Ariyoshi, deputy director-general of the Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau, South Korean Foreign Ministry Director-General for the Korean Peninsula Policy Baek Yong-jin and US State Department Deputy Assistant Secretary David Wilezol took part in the call.

The officials reaffirmed that North Korea's ballistic missile launch violates the relevant UN Security Council resolutions and urged Pyongyang to "cease such provocations that threaten the peace and security of the region and the international community."

They also reaffirmed close coordination among the three countries.

South Korea's military and Japan's Defense Ministry said Thursday that North Korea launched a ballistic missile toward the East Sea, also known as the Sea of Japan.

North Korea's state media remained silent on the launch on Friday in an unusual move, as it typically reports such launches the following day.