On May 25, DPJ Secretary General Katsuya Okada issued the following statement:

Today, it is reported that North Korea once more carried out a provocative underground nuclear test, and moreover following that fired a short-range missile. If this is true, this is a violation of United Nations Security Council resolutions, which not only renders meaningless the efforts of the countries participating in the Six Party Talks, but is also an outrageous and unforgivable act that poses a grave threat to the international community. As the only country to suffer the effects of a nuclear attack, Japan cannot permit such an act under any circumstances. In addition, the series of actions by North Korea following on from the firing of a ballistic missile in April are a serious challenge to our national security, which we both strongly protest and categorically condemn.

North Korea should immediately cease actions that threaten the peace and security of the international community, and based on the framework of the Six Party Talks, should make public all actions taken up until now, and following that, should proceed with the total abolition of its nuclear program and elimination of the missile threat.

The Japanese government should investigate how to respond appropriately to such acts, including discovering why Japan was not able to deduce what North Korea was planning in advance and urge self-restraint, as well as engaging in the stern diplomatic efforts required, including for example taking the appropriate response in the UN Security Council and implementing additional sanctions.