TOKYO - Japan will ask for UN action following Friday's rocket launch by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), Chief Cabinet Secretary Osamu Fujimura said.

Speaking at a press conference, Fujimura said the launch, which Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda told a parliamentary session was "unacceptable" and "provocative," was a violation of UN resolutions which ban Pyongyang from any launch using ballistic missile technology.

Japan, he added, will enhance coordination with the United States, the Republic of Korea (ROK), China and Russia and urge the UN Security Council to take "appropriate action" against the DPRK.

The UN Security Council is to convene a meeting later Friday to discuss how to respond to the DPRK's launch.