North Korea reportedly fired two ballistic missiles into waters off its east coast Wednesday, in the direction of Japan, prompting Japan's prime minister to denounce the action as "absolutely outrageous," according to reports quoted by BBC. The latest missile firings by North Korea came several days after it reportedly tested newly developed long-range missiles over the weekend, the reports said. "The firings threaten the peace and safety of Japan and the region and are absolutely outrageous," Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said, according to The Associated Press. "The government of Japan is determined to further step up our vigilance and surveillance to be prepared for any contingencies." The US military's Indo-Pacific Command confirmed Wednesday's test in a statement, pledging commitment to America's allies in the region: "While we have assessed that this event does not pose an immediate threat to US personnel or territory, or to our allies, the missile launch highlights the destabilizing impact of the DPRK's illicit weapons program," it said, referring to North Korea by its official name. South Korea's Yonhap News reported the latest firing, citing information from South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff, which were conducting an analysis of the situation. Hours after the North Korean launch, South Korea fired a missile of its own from a submarine in an event that had been scheduled in advance, Yonhap reported. The Associated Press initially reported that only one projectile had been fired and did not identify it as a ballistic missile, but updated its story around 1:20 a.m. ET Wednesday, claiming as Yonhap did that two ballistic missiles had been fired. Japan's coast guard said both projectiles landed in international waters between Japan and the Korean Peninsula, the AP reported. -- Agencies
