In the early morning on Oct. 4, North Korea fired an immediate-range ballistic missile over Japan.

A J-alert was then issued by the Japanese government, which warned citizens to seek shelter in stable buildings or underground.

This was the seventh time North Korea launched a missile over Japan. However, the country has fired two cruise missiles and 21 ballistic missiles since January—shattering its record for the number of launches in one year. Oct. 4 marked North Korea’s fifth test in just over a week.

“The firing, which followed a recent series of launches by North Korea, is a reckless act, and I strongly condemn it,” Japanese prime minister Fumio Kishida said to reporters.

So far, no damage has been reported in Japan, but residents were advised to not pick up or touch any debris.

In response to North Korea’s launch, both South Korea and the United States have test-fired missiles to demonstrate that this aggression will have consequences.

“With every launch, no matter how it goes…[Kim Jong-un] gets more capable, and his program continues to advance. And obviously, that’s of concern to us,” U.S. National Security Council coordinator for strategic communications John Kirby said in an interview. “So, he saw us react to it very swiftly, publicly in denouncing this launch and making it clear that it’s unacceptable. It’s a violation of [United Nations (UN)] Security Council resolutions. And we also conducted two exercises, one with our South Korean counterparts over the West Sea and one with our Japanese counterparts.”

However, South Korea’s ballistic missiles malfunctioned and exploded in its coastal city of Gangneung, causing panic among the residents who thought they were under attack from the North. South Korean military officials then apologized for the failure.

The following day, the U.S. accused Russia and China of supporting and enabling North Korea to grow its military arsenal and exert aggression.

“The DPRK (North Korea) has enjoyed blanket protection from two members of this council,” U.S. ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield said to the Security Council. “In short, two permanent members of the Security Council have enabled Kim Jong-un.”

North Korea’s permanent UN ambassador Kim Song responded that global security is plunging into its worst state since World War II due to the governance by the West. He also called for a reform of the Security Council, saying, “[it] does not say even a word about the high-handedness and arbitrariness, reckless arms build-up and war crimes of the U.S., but picks a quarrel with [North Korea] at every chance in its righteous efforts to bolster national self-defense capabilities.”

Over 25,000 U.S. troops are stationed in South Korea to aid in a possible attack from the North—which has increasingly grown more likely. Kim Jong-un even recently declared the country a “nuclear weapons state” and has promised to develop these weapons at the “highest possible speed.” Unfortunately, the most recent missile launch over Japan highlights that there may be more arms tests to come.