Alwaght- North Korea has fired a ballistic missile from the capital Pyongyang that has flown over northern Japan ignoring punitive measures by UN Security Council.
Yoshihide Sug, Japan's chief cabinet secretary, said the projectile was launched at 6:57am local time on Friday (21:57 GMT Thursday) and flew over the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido before falling into the Pacific Ocean - 2,000km east of Cape Erimo.
"Japan protests the latest launch in the strongest terms and will take appropriate and timely action at the United Nations and elsewhere, staying in close contact with the United States and South Korea," Suga said.
The country can "never tolerate this repeated extreme provocative action".
South Korea's defence ministry said the missile travelled about 3,700km and reached a maximum altitude of 770km - both higher and further than previous tests.
North Korea's launch came a day after it threatened to sink Japan and reduce the US to "ashes and darkness" for supporting a UN Security Council resolution imposing new sanctions against the nation for its September 3 nuclear test.
The Security Council voted unanimously on a revised US-drafted resolution and a new round of sanctions on Monday, banning North Korea's textile exports and capping fuel supplies.
North Korea conducted its sixth nuclear test earlier in September. Pyongyang said that it had successfully tested a hydrogen bomb which can be mounted on an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).
North Korea blames the US for escalating tensions in the region through its provocative military drills. Pyongyang insists that it is developing nuclear weapons to deal with growing threats posed by the US.
