The Japanese defense ministry announced that Japan, the United States and South Korea carried out a trilateral missile defense exercise in the Sea of Japan on Sunday.

The drills included Aegis-equipped destroyers, one each from Japan's maritime Self-Defense Force, the US Navy and the South Korean Navy. The destroyers are capable of chasing ballistic missiles.

The trilateral exercise was the first aimed at responding to a ballistic missile since April.

The three countries confirmed steps on sharing information about a missile that has been launched.

The defense ministry believes the ICBM-level missile the North launched on Wednesday was a new type using solid fuel, which enables quicker launches compared to liquid fuel.

The ministry said the latest exercise promotes trilateral cooperation at a time when the security situation surrounding Japan is becoming increasingly severe, and shows the three countries' commitment to protect international order, based on the rule of law.