Fears and fury after missile

NUCLEAR-ARMED North Korea fired a ballistic missile over Japan in a major escalation that triggered global alarm and a furious response from Tokyo.

A visibly unsettled Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said it was an “unprecedented, serious and grave threat”, while the UN Security Council called an emergency meeting.

Sirens blared out and text messages were fired off across northern Japan warning people in the missile’s flightpath to take cover.

Trains were delayed as passengers were urged to seek shelter inside stations. “All lines are experiencing disruption,” said one sign on Sapporo’s metro system. “Reason: Ballistic missile launch.”

The last time a North Korean rocket flew over Japan was in 2009, when Pyongyang said it was a satellite launch. Washington, Seoul and Tokyo believed it was a clandestine test of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).

Pyongyang last month carried out two overt ICBM tests that appeared to bring much of the US mainland within reach for the first time and heightened strains in the region.

At the time, US President Donald Trump issued an apocalyptic warning of raining “fire and fury” on the North, while Pyongyang threatened to fire a salvo of missiles towards the US territory of Guam.

South Korea said the latest missile was launched from Sunan, near Pyongyang, and flew around 2700km at a maximum altitude of around 550km.

Mr Abe said the overflight was an “outrageous act” that “greatly damages regional peace and security”.

In a 40-minute telephone call with Mr Trump, he said, the two allies had agreed to “further strengthen pressure against North Korea”.

Japan has in the past vowed to shoot down North Korean missiles or rockets that threaten to hit its territory.

But it made no attempt to do so during this week’s incident.