North Korea fired a ballistic missile from the capital Pyongyang that has flown over northern Japan, prompting strong reactions from its neighbours and the US. Yoshihide Sug, Japan’s chief cabinet secretary, said the projectile was launched at 6:57am local time on Friday and flew over the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido before falling into the Pacific Ocean – 2,000km east of Cape Erimo. South Korea’s defence ministry said the missile travelled about 3,700km and reached a maximum altitude of 770km – both higher and further than previous tests. The ministry said the South’s military conducted a live-fire ballistic missile drill in response to the North’s launch. Al Jazeera reported that the South Korean and US militaries are analysing details of the launch, the South’s Office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said. South Korea’s presidential Blue House called an urgent National Security Council meeting.
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