North Korea has sparked international backlash after launching its biggest missile since 2017.
The Japanese and South Korean militaries said the missile reached a maximum altitude of 2,000 kilometres (1,242 miles) and travelled 800 kilometres (497 miles) before landing in the sea.
Flight details suggest it is the longest-range ballistic missile tested by North Korea since 2017, when it twice flew intermediate-range ballistic missiles over Japan.
Japan, South Korea and the United States have all condemned the launch.
The United States rebuked North Korea over its testing activity and called on Pyongyang to refrain from further destabilising acts.
It said the latest launch did not “pose an immediate threat to U.S. personnel, territory, or that of our allies”.
Japanese Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi told reporters that the missile was the longest-range the North has tested since its Hwasong-15 ICBM in November 2017.
Takehiro Funakoshi, director-general for Asian and Oceanian Affairs at Japan’s Foreign Ministry, discussed the launch in separate phone calls with Sung Kim, US President Joe Biden’s special envoy for North Korea and Noh Kyu-duk, South Korea’s nuclear envoy.
The officials shared an understanding that Sunday’s missile was of enhanced destructive power and reaffirmed trilateral cooperation in the face of the North Korean threat, Japan’s Foreign Ministry said.
Experts say the North could halt its testing spree after the start of the Beijing Winter Olympics next week out of respect for its ally China.
