Tokyo says it lodged a protest after North Korea fired missiles toward Sea

After North Korea fired several ballistic missiles toward the Sea of Japan, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Thursday that he "strongly condemns" the move, adding that Tokyo has already "lodged a protest" with the Hermit Kingdom.

"So far we have not confirmed any reports of any damages. Needless to say, the launch of ballistic missiles by North Korea is a violation of the UN Security Council resolutions," Kishida said.

"We will continue to do our utmost to gather information and monitor the situation, and we will work closely through the Japan-U.S., as well as the Japan-US-South Korea alliances."

North Korea fired several short-range ballistic missiles off its east coast towards the Sea of Japan Thursday morning local time, according to the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Japan said the missiles "are believed to have fallen outside" of Japan's exclusive economic zone, an area of the sea in which the coastal state claims the rights to conduct economic activity.

The missiles were launched from Pyongyang, and flew about 360 km, 224 miles, before landing in the East Sea, South Korea said in a .

This launch came days after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said that the country will enforce a policy to boost its nuclear capabilities "exponentially," according to the Korean Central News Agency, the state news agency of North Korea.

In a statement, the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command also condemned the launch, calling on North Korea to "refrain from further unlawful and destabilizing acts."

"While we have assessed that this event does not pose an immediate threat to U.S. personnel, or territory, or to our allies, we continue to monitor the situation. The U.S. commitments to the defense of the ROK and Japan remain ironclad," the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command added.

This was the first ballistic missile launch by North Korea in two months, local news reported. In early July, North Korea launched two ballistic missiles, one of which failed and possibly fell inland, according to South Korea's military.

In recent years, North Korea has been ramping up their weapons testing efforts to combat what it calls a deepening U.S. military threat.

Kim said in a speech on Monday that his nation needs a tough military presence to counter "the various threats posed by the United States and its followers."