North Korea fires missile over Japan, sharply escalating tensions

Reuters|

Updated: Aug 29, 2017, 06.39 AM IST

TOKYO/SEOUL: North Korea fired a missile that flew over Japan and landed in waters off the northern region of Hokkaido early on Tuesday, South Korean and Japanese officials said, marking a sharp escalation of tensions on the Korean peninsula. 

The test, which experts said appeared to have been a recently developed intermediate-range Hwasong-12 missile, came as US and South Korean forces conduct annual military drills on the peninsula, against which North Korea strenuously objects.

Earlier this month, North Korea threatened to fire missiles into the sea near the US Pacific territory of Guam after US President Donald Trump warned Pyongyang would face "fire and fury" if it threatened the United States. 

North Korea has conducted dozens of ballistic missile tests under young leader Kim Jong-Un, the most recent on Saturday, but firing projectiles over mainland Japan is rare. 

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