TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - North Korea test-fired a ballistic missile off its east coast towards Japan early on Wednesday, its neighbors said, just days before U.S.-South Korea Joint Military drills which Pyongyang views as invasion rehearsals. North Korea has condemned these drills on several occasions before, often staging missile tests before and after the exercises. "North Korea has never simply let a South Korea-U.S. joint military exercise pass without a response," said Lim Eul-chul, a North Korea expert at Kyungnam University. He said it had prompted North Korea to respond with “proactive and overwhelming” countermeasures. Read: North Korea Slams Japan Over Tomahawk Cruise Missile TestClick here to get the latest news updates from Tempo on Google News