For the first time in five years, North Korea launched a missile over Japan prompting a rare shelter warning to its residents.
Japan is enraged at the provocative move and the United States slammed North Korea's "dangerous and reckless" decision to launch a long-range ballistic missile over the country.
The authoritarian state has launched an unprecedented number of missiles in the last few weeks, as the United States has tried to deter them with military drills in the region with South Korea and Japan.
This is the first time North Korea has fired a ballistic missile over Japan since 2017 and shows North Korea demonstrating its growing nuclear capabilities.
In response, the US fired two bombs and it has raised the stakes with diplomatic talks with Washington.
How far and how fast did the missile travel?
The missile was fired from Mupyong-ri, near North Korea’s central border with China, according to the South Korean military.
It was launched at 7.22am and landed in the Pacific Ocean 22 minutes later, Japan’s Chief Cabinet Minister, Hirokazu Matsuno, said.
It crashed about 1,864 miles outside Japan’s exclusive economic zone, which extends 200 nautical miles from its shores.
The missile flew a distance of about 2,858 miles, with an altitude of around 621 miles.
The missile’s flight distance demonstrated that it has the ability to hit the US Pacific territory of Guam, home to US military bases.
Its top speed reached Mach 17, which is a staggering 17 times the speed of sound, according to Japanese officials.
What kind of missile was it?
Some, including Japan's President, believe it was a Hwasong-12, which is an intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) last tested in January.
Kim Jong Un has launched 23 missiles this year, the highest number of ballistic missiles fired in a single year since the leader took power in 2012.
North Korea last test-fired a Hwasong-12 missile in January, in a bid to test its capabilities and accuracy.
The Hwasong-12 has an estimated range of 2,796 miles and the ability to carry a nuclear warhead.
What is the significance of the launch?
Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul, said the test could be a precursor to a larger launch.
“By now, North Korea’s short-range missile tests suffer diminishing returns in terms of technical advancement, domestic political value, and international signalling. Diplomacy isn’t dead, but talks aren’t about to resume either,” he said.
Firing over or past Japan allows North Korea’s scientists to test missiles under more realistic conditions and is extremely distressing to the Japanese public to receive warnings of possible incoming North Korean fire.
This unannounced launch could have hit planes and ships as it travelled to its target and if the missile failed there could have been a major threat to populated areas.
The missile flew over Japan’s Tohoku region which is home to more than 8 million people.
The likelihood of any of that happening is low, but the symbolism of the provocation is huge and Japan feels its sovereignty has been violated.
The launch also prompted the national broadcaster, NHK, to televise a warning to citizens in two northern areas, Aomori and Hokkaido, and islands around Tokyo to seek shelter.
It is the first time in more than five years that Japan has issued a warning for residents to take cover from a North Korean missile.
"It was a loud alarm, the same as when they warn that a major earthquake is imminent", said Hideo Okada, a property executive to The Telegraph.
What has the reaction been?
The Japanese government said it did not use any defence measures to destroy the missile, but warned that North Korea "poses a serious challenge to the entire international community".
"North Korea's series of actions, including its repeated ballistic missile launches, threatens the peace and security of Japan, the region, and the international community," Japan's top government spokesperson Hirokazu Matsuno said.
The United States also condemned the attack as destabilising and said it "will continue its efforts to limit North Korea's ability to advance its prohibited ballistic missile and weapons of mass destruction programs, including with allies and UN partners."
South Korea has echoed Japan’s anger at the latest launch, with Yoon Suk-yeol, the president, warning of a “resolute” response.
An emergency meeting of the National Security Council has been called.
Is North Korea planning to launch a nuclear missile?
This year is Kim Jong-un's, Supreme Leader of North Korea, second decade in power and some say the launches are a chance for him to reassert his authority and grab the attention of the United States.
The launch also came as the US' vast nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan arrived in South Korea for joint military exercises, as a sign of aggression and strength towards the nation.
Washington stationed close to 30,000 troops in South Korea to protect it from the North.
But Mr Jong-Un told Pyongyang’s parliament this month that he would never abandon his nuclear weapons and missiles.
Military experts say North Korea may wait until after China’s mid-October Communist party congress to conduct a more militarily significant test.
Most analysts agree that the Kim regime is seeking attention.
