Ambassador says US has right to defend itself

The US ambassador to Japan says the United States reserves the right to defend itself and its allies in the wake of a battery of North Korean missile tests that rattled East Asia.

Speaking in Tokyo, ambassador Thomas Schieffer said he hoped the dispute over the six missile shots would be resolved diplomatically, but “we are prepared to take measures to protect the US, our allies and our friends”.

The world also needs to speak with “one voice” in response to the missile tests, Schieffer added.

“We are seeking an international community response, not just from the US or Japan or the nations in the six-party process,” he said.

“We believe the entire international community has a stake in this.”