TOKYO: Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida condemned North Korea for firing a ballistic missile on Friday that landed within his country's exclusive economic zone (EEZ), in what the Coast Guard said was roughly 210 km from an island in northern Hokkaido.

"We naturally lodged a strong protest against North Korea, which has repeated its provocations with unprecedented frequency," Kishida told reporters in Thailand, where he is attending the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit meeting. His remarks were televised live in Japan.