Japanese Prime Minister Shinzō Abe, left, looks on as U.S. President Donald J. Trump, right, speaks during a joint press conference at the White House in Washington, U.S., February 10, 2017.
President Donald J. Trump responded to North Korea testing a missile at a joint press conference with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzō Abe on Saturday night.
“The United States of America stands behind Japan, its great ally, 100 percent,” Trump said during the conference at Trump’s south Florida estate.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe condemned North Korea’s latest missile launch calling it, “absolutely intolerable.” In a prepared statement, Prime Minister Abe said President Trump assured him the U.S. supports Japan and that he showed determination and commitment to strengthen the alliance.
He also called on North Korea “to fully comply with relevant U.N. Security Council resolutions.”
The projectile was fired from an area in the country’s western region near Banghyon, North Pyongan Province, which is where South Korean officials have said the country test launched its powerful midrange missile Musudan on Oct. 15 and 20.
A spokesman for U.S. Strategic Command said in an emailed statement to Fox News that the, “U.S. Strategic Command systems detected and tracked what we assess was a North Korean missile launch.”
North Korea has attempted 24 missile launches and two nuclear tests just this year, alone. The tests included eight launches of the Musudan missile. Th intercontinental ballistic missile can be fired from concealed road-mobile vehicles, travel 4,000 kilometers and hit the U.S. mainland.
In June of 2016, North Korea successfully fired a Musudan, which landed 250 miles away in the Sea of Japan. The latest launch comes after four unchecked nuclear tests during the Obama administration, and one under the Bush administration.
The most recent attempt to launch an intermediate-range ballistic missile, which subsequently failed, was within hours of a U.S. presidential debate in October.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said in his annual New Year’s address that the North’s preparations for launching an intercontinental ballistic missile have “reached the final stage.”
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