May outraged by North Korea’s latest ‘provocative’ missile launch

12

THERESA May said she had been “outraged” by Pyongyang’s decision to launch a ballistic missile over Japan and vowed to build international pressure on the rogue state over its “reckless provocation”.

The missile flew over the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido and landed in the Pacific Ocean, a move Japan’s prime minister, Shinzo Abe, said represented an “unprecedented, serious and important threat”.

The British Prime Minister, who arrives in Kyoto this morning heading a significant trade delegation on a three-day visit, said she would be discussing the latest missile test with Mr Abe.

Asked, in light of the missile launch, if she had any reservations about her trip to Japan – which will include not only bilaterals with her Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe but also security talks on the aircraft carrier Izumo, an audience with Emperor Akihito and a state banquet – the Prime Minister said: “No. I’m absolutely clear that trip to Japan will go ahead.

“It gives me the opportunity to sit down with Prime Minister Abe over the next few days to discuss the action that North Korea has taken,” she added.

Last night in New York, the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) met in emergency session to discuss further sanctions against North Korea.

In a first, Pyongyang yesterday fired a mid-range ballistic missile designed to carry a nuclear warhead that flew over Japan and splashed into the northern Pacific Ocean.

The launch over the territory of a close US ally sent a clear message of defiance as Washington and South Korea conduct war games nearby.

The US administration has in recent weeks been emphasising it wants to use economic and diplomatic pressure to achieve a negotiated solution.

Yesterday, Mr Trump and Mr Abe spoke by telephone over the latest missile test.

The White House said the leaders agreed North Korea posed “a grave and growing direct threat” to the United States, Japan, South Korea and countries around the world.

It explained: “President Trump and Prime Minister Abe committed to increasing pressure on North Korea and doing their utmost to convince the international community to do the same.”

Mr Abe insisted: “Japan’s and the US positions are totally at one.”

He said both nations were in “total agreement” that a UNSC emergency meeting was needed to step up pressure on North Korea after what he termed an “unprecedented threat”.

The Japanese premier also said Mr

Japanese commander Lt Gen Hiroaki Maehara delivers a speech in Tokyo a few hours after a missile launch by North Korea over his country’s territory. Trump had expressed his “strong commitment” to defending Japan.

“A missile launch across Japan is an outrageous act that poses an unprecedented, grave and serious threat, and significantly undermines the peace and security of the region,” Mr Abe said.

“The government has lodged a firm protest against North Korea.”

North Korea’s latest test came weeks

after the UNSC voted unanimously to impose tough new sanctions against the government in Pyongyang.

It also followed a series of missile launches late on Friday and came after a period in which the US and North Korea had traded heated rhetoric over Pyongyang’s continued missile tests, which violate UNSC resolutions.

Earlier this month, the US President warned Mr Kim that North Korea would face “fire and fury” if it continued to threaten the US, while Pyongyang had threatened to fire missiles towards the US Pacific territory of Guam.

At the time, however, Han Tae-Song, North Korea’s UN ambassador, said his country had the right to respond to the military exercises.

He noted: “Now that the US has openly declared its hostile intention towards DPR Korea by raising joint aggressive military exercises despite repeated warnings... my country has every reason to respond with tough counter-measures.”

Last week the diplomatic frost appeared

to thaw a little when Mr Trump praised North Korea’s decision to back down from its earlier threats to attack Guam.

“I respect the fact that I believe he [Mr Kim] is starting to respect us,” declared the President at a campaign rally in Phoenix.

“I respect that fact very much. Respect that fact.

“And maybe, probably not, but maybe something positive can come about.”

However, the missile launch over Japan has wiped out any early signs of a rapprochement.

China has warned that tensions in the region have reached a “tipping point” and made clear America and South Korea were responsible.

Sergei Ryabkov, Russia’s deputy foreign minister, made clear Moscow believed the use of sanctions and force to resolve the situation was “a path to nowhere; a path to catastrophe”.

He called on Pyongyang to halt its missile launches and on Washington and its allies to avoid escalating military tension.