Early on Tuesday morning, the Japanese Ministry of Defense said that North Korea blasted a ballistic missile over Japan.

   According to ABC News, the Japanese government issued a “J-Alert” which advised citizens to take cover in safe and sturdy buildings or areas. Although in panic, the Japanese government decided not to shoot down the missile because according to a government spokesperson, they didn’t think it posed a threat.

   “North Korea’s actions threaten Japan and the international community,” a government spokesman said to ABC News. “Missile launches like this go against the U.N. resolutions. Japan will launch a strong protest against North Korea in light of this. All new information will be shared promptly.”

   According to CNN, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff stated that South Korea and the United States launched four missiles Wednesday off the east coast of the Korean Peninsula. In 24 hours, this was the allies’ second exercise after a test launch over Japan by North Korea without warning. The allies usually respond to missile tests by North Korea with military exercises. The four missiles launched were Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATMS), which are surface-to-surface missiles that have the ability to fly 200 miles or 320 kilometers.

   “The launch was designed to demonstrate that the US and its allies have the military capabilities at the ready to respond to provocations by the North,” John Kirby said to CNN. 

   In response to the missile launch from North Korea in the past, the US and South Korea have responded in similar ways.

   “This is not the first time we’ve done this in response to provocations by the North to make sure that we can demonstrate our own capabilities,” Kirby said to CNN’s Pamela Brown on “The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer.”

   Although the allies have briefly condoned and responded to the North Koreans’ actions, analysts say there is little the allies can do to stop Kim’s relentless weapon buildup.