North Korea fired a suspected intercontinental ballistic missile into waters east of the Korean peninsula on Friday morning, a day after Pyongyang warned the US against bolstering its protection of South Korea and Japan.
Japanese prime minister Fumio Kishida said the missile was estimated to have landed west of Hokkaido in waters claimed by Tokyo as part of its exclusive economic zone.
The launch, described by South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff as a likely ICBM, is the latest in an unprecedented barrage of North Korean missiles, amid heightened tensions as the US seeks to assure its east Asian allies of its commitment to their defence.