WASHINGTON: Japan and the United States on Tuesday criticized North Korea’s firing of a short-range ballistic missile the same day, saying that the act violates UN Security Council resolutions.

The criticism came at a three-way working-level meeting on North Korean issues in Washington among Takehiro Funakoshi, director-general of the Japanese Foreign Ministry’s Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau, Sung Kim, US special representative for North Korea, and Noh Kyu-duk, Seoul’s special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs.

The three agreed to continue diplomatic efforts to encourage the reclusive nation to give up nuclear weapons, while steadily implementing the UN resolutions and beefing up deterrence in the region.

Funakoshi and Noh indicated that they will support possible dialogue between the United States and North Korea.

Funakoshi asked for cooperation over the issue of North Korea’s past abductions of Japanese nationals and received the backing of Kim and Noh on the matter.

Kim voiced support for humanitarian aid for the most vulnerable North Koreans.

Separate talks between Kim and Noh, Funakoshi and Noh and Funakoshi and Kim were held before and after the three-way meeting.

Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said that the United States calls on North Korea “to refrain from further provocations and engage in sustained and substantive dialogue.”

“Our commitment to the defense of the Republic of Korea (South Korea) and Japan remains ironclad,” she added.

The UN Security Council will hold an emergency meeting on Wednesday afternoon in response to North Korea’s latest missile launch, informed sources have said.]

The meeting will be the third of its kind since Pyongyang started to ramp up missile activities in September this year. The top UN body could not adopt any statement in the past two meetings.

The focus will be on whether members of the council will finally be able to release a united message regarding North Korea’s missile activities.

JIJI Press