The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) fired three missiles early Wednesday morning, Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe said.

The missiles, which all landed in the Sea of Japan several hundred kilometers off the coast of Japan, were launched at about 3:30 a.m., 4:00 a.m. and 5:00 a.m. local time respectively (1830 GMT, 1900 GMT and 2000 GMT), the top government spokesman said in a televised news conference.

Japan "lodges a stern protest and expresses regret" about the DPRK's missile actions, Abe said.

Source: Xinhua