Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday denounced North Korea's missile provocation, saying that firing four missiles into the Sea of Japan on Monday violated U.N. resolutions in defiance of the international community.
A teleconference between the two leaders followed a report by the state-owned Korean Central News Agency earlier Tuesday that the missile launch drill was targeting U.S. military bases in Japan.
The North is said to be hoping to drive a wedge between the U.S. and Japan, but the two leaders emphasized the Japan-U.S. alliance was solid and the U.S. was committed to the security of Japan.