North Korea launches ballistic missile over Japan

North Korea launches ballistic missile over Japan

South Korea’s military says intermediate-range ballistic missile was fired east from the North’s capital, Pyongyang.

Shinzo Abe: 'There will be no bright future'

Here is the Japanese prime minister’s full response to the North Korea missile launch:

The UN resolution showed the international community’s unified strong will for a peaceful solution. But despite that, North Korea has again carried out this outrageous conduct.

It is absolutely unacceptable.

We request an emergency meeting of the United Nations security council. Global peace is threatened by North Korea’s dangerous provocations.

The international community should unite against such conduct to send a clear message … The recent sanctions and resolutions must be fully complied with and implemented. That is now ever more clear.

If North Korea continues to walk this road, there will be no bright future. We need to get North Korea to understand that.

This time, the Japanese government once again, since immediately after the missile launch … had completely assessed the movements of the missile and we have taken all full necessary measures.

And under the firm Japan-US alliance, we will step up our level of alert to ensure the security and the sense of security of the Japanese people.

James Mattis, the US defense secretary, has accused North Korea of “a reckless act”.

Mattis said the missile “was fired over Japan and put millions of Japanese in duck and cover”.

But when questioned on how the US would respond, Mattis said:

I don’t want to talk on that yet.

US president Donald Trump has been briefed on the missile launch, he confirmed.