News Obiaks News

In a move that has been widely criticised and termed a "grave threat" by Japanese Prime Minister, North Korea has fired a ballistic missile across Japan.

US and Japanese forces have just finished a joint drill in Hokkaido while another annual military exercise involving tens of thousands of South Korean and US soldiers is still under way in South Korea.

The North sees these regular military drills involving the US as highly provocative, perceiving them as a rehearsal for an invasion.

This is by some measure North Korea's most provocative missile test in a very long time, perhaps ever. Yes, there have been North Korean flights over Japan before, but this is the first time Pyongyang has fired an overtly military missile, with a potential nuclear capability, across Japan.

No effort was made by Japan to shoot down the missile but it issued a safety warning telling citizens in Hokkaido to take shelter in "a sturdy building or basement".

Japan's Prime Minister Abe said he had spoken to US President Donald Trump and that both agreed to increase pressure on North Korea. The Pentagon meanwhile said the launch did not represent a threat to the US itself but that the military was working to gather more intelligence about it.

Russia also weighed in on the debate, with Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov saying the country was "extremely worried" about the situation and warning of a "tendency towards an escalation".