Senior diplomats from Japan, the United States and South Korea have confirmed that the three countries will continue to work closely to deal with North Korea.

Namazu Hiroyuki, the director-general of the Japanese Foreign Ministry's Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau, spoke by telephone on Sunday with the US Deputy Special Representative for North Korea, Jung Pak, and South Korea's Special Representative for Korean Peninsula Peace and Security Affairs, Kim Gunn.

North Korea fired a ballistic missile earlier in the day.

The three officials condemned the missile launch, saying it violates UN Security Council resolutions and threatens the peace and security of the region and the international community.

They also discussed Pyongyang and Moscow strengthening their ties and the North Korean foreign minister's current visit to Russia.