North Korea fired a ballistic missile on Sunday, drawing a strong response from US President Donald Trump who vowed “100%” support for key ally Japan at a press conference with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
The missile, the first test since Trump became president, was launched around 2255 UTC on Saturday, from Banghyon air base in the western province of North Pyongan, and flew east towards the Sea of Japan, the South Korean defence ministry said.
It flew about 500 kilometres before falling into the sea, a ministry spokesman said, adding the exact type of missile had yet to be identified.
Abe denounced the launch as “absolutely intolerable” while top government spokesman Yoshihide Suge told reporters in Tokyo it was “clearly a provocation to Japan and the region”.