Ambassadors from Japan and the U.S. expect to elaborate on that protest Tuesday at the emergency meeting that they requested of the United Nations Security Council. Less than a month ago, the council unanimously approved a stringent package of sanctions on Pyongyang, aiming to further isolate the already-sequestered regime and to cut about a third of its annual export revenue.
The U.S. Treasury Department also drew up sanctions of its own last week on entities in China and Russia — two other permanent members of the Security Council — aimed at further eroding Pyongyang's sources of funds.
The new South Korean administration, which at times has broadcast its desire for diplomatic talks, sent a markedly more hawkish message after the launch, promptly releasing a video purportedly showing its own missile tests last week.
And mere hours after the North's test, the South's military reportedly announced that it had sent four fighter jets on a live-bombing drill simulating an attack on Kim Jong Un's regime. They dropped eight 1-ton bombs on a hillside, demonstrating their capacity to bust underground bunkers.
"Our Air Force will wipe out the leadership of the North Korean regime with the strong strike capability if it threatens the security of our people and the South Korea-U.S. alliance with nuclear weapons and missiles," the leader of the training mission said in a statement, according to the Yonhap news agency.
The defiant message from Seoul contrasts with a deep sense of unease among many Japanese citizens, however, especially on the big island that for a few brief moments stood in the missile's shadow. Residents on Hokkaido reported waking to sirens in some towns and an ominous text from the government: "Missile alert, missile alert. You are advised to seek shelter in a sturdy building or go underground."
In one Hokkaido city, according to The Guardian, metro riders found their commute delays explained with a sign: "All lines are experiencing disruption," it read. "Reason: Ballistic missile launch."