Japan lodges protest with N. Korea over missile launches

TOKYO, July 4 Kyodo -
The Japanese government lodged a protest with North Korea through diplomatic
channels in Beijing over its launching of multiple ballistic missiles into the
Sea of Japan on Saturday, Japanese officials said.
Tokyo said in the protest that Pyongyang carried out a ''grave act of
provocation toward neighboring countries, including our country, in terms of
security,'' adding that it infringes on U.N. Security Council resolutions
demanding that North Korea cease all activities related to its ballistic
missile programs.
Japan also urged North Korea to implement the provisions of related Security
Council resolutions and take specific steps toward resolving the issue of its
past abductions of Japanese nationals as well as its nuclear and missile
development programs, the officials said.
Japan is set to coordinate with countries including the United States, South
Korea, China and Russia in urging other members of the United Nations to
steadily implement the measures in the Security Council's sanctions resolutions
against Pyongyang, according to the officials.
But as the missiles flew only at short range, Japan plans to deal calmly with
the matter and refrain from asking for the Security Council to convene a
meeting immediately to discuss the situation, they said.
Prime Minister Taro Aso plans to take up the North Korean nuclear and missile
development issues when he meets with fellow leaders of the Group of Eight
countries when they meet next week in L'Aquila, Italy, they said.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Takeo Kawamura issued a statement Saturday condemning
the missile launches as going against the Security Council resolutions.
The government set up a task force at the prime minister's office to monitor
North Korea's moves and analyze data related to the missile launches, the
officials said.
A separate task force that had already been set up at the Foreign Ministry in
response to North Korea's nuclear test in May was also tasked Saturday with
dealing with the latest missile launches.
Meanwhile, Katsuya Okada, secretary general of the main opposition Democratic
Party of Japan, described the missile launches as ''going over the edge,'' and
emphasized the importance of imposing sanctions on North Korea.
Speaking at a press conference in Toyama, central Japan, Okada also said, ''If
North Korea responds sincerely to the nuclear development and abduction issues,
the international community would offer all kinds of helping hand.''
Hiroshima Mayor Tadatoshi Akiba released a statement condemning the missile
launches as an ''outrage defying strong protests from the intentional community
including those from atom-bombed Hiroshima.''
Shigeo Iizuka, head of an association grouping relatives of Japanese nationals
abducted to North Korea in the 1970s and 1980s, told reporters that the
international community should impose more sanctions on the North in response
to the fresh missile firings.
==Kyodo