North Korea sparks criticism from Japan after second missile test | USA TODAY

North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles in its second weapons test in three days.

RELATED: Kim Jong Un showcases North Korea's missiles in military parade

North Korea has launched at least 84 missiles in 2022 — including 25 in a single day — an unprecedented number of tests that has escalated tension with the U.S. and across Asia and raised fears that leader Kim Jong-Un is planning another nuclear test, its seventh since 2017.

North Korea began testing missiles in 1984 but has accelerated its development of short- and long-range weapons and intercontinental ballistic missiles potentially capable of reaching the U.S.

Kim announced a law in September declaring North Korea a nuclear weapons state with the right to protect itself with pre-emptive nuclear strikes. Despite U.S. and U.N. sanctions over the years, the missile tests have continued.

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