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The U.S. military landed in hot water with Japanese officials on Thursday when a spokesman used the term "East Sea" to refer to the wedge of sea between Japan, Russia and the Korean peninsula where North Korea tested missiles earlier in the day.

"We are aware of North Korean missile launches this morning into the East Sea," the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command spokesman Captain Mike Kafka said in the initial official statement from the U.S. government.

North Korea launched two suspected ballistic missiles into the sea near Japan, drawing condemnation and concern from Japan, the United States, and South Korea.

The U.S. military's use of the term "East Sea" made a splash of its own in Japan, which prefers the name "Sea of Japan".

Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Manabu Sakai told a news conference that the use of East Sea was "inappropriate".

"Japan's stance on this issue is that 'Sea of Japan' is the one and only official, international name for this body of water," he said.