North Korea has launched a ballistic missile eastward towards Japan, the BBC is reporting.
The Japanese government has warned its residents to take shelter, although it is believed that it has likely passed over its territory.
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The launch is believed to have come from North Korea's capital, Pyongyang.
Credit: PA
Both South Korea and US military forces are analysing the details of the reported launch, a South Korean news agency, Yonhap, has stated.
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The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) told the agency: "North Korea fired an unidentified missile eastward from the vicinity of Pyongyang this morning."
South Korea's presidential palace, the Blue House, has called an urgent National Security Council meeting.
Japan labelled the launch as an 'intolerable proactive act'.
The BBC's Rupert Winfield-Hayes said the greater concern is over how high and how far the missile flew.
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He described how the public announcement alarms sounded across the Japan, waking people up in the process.
Credit: PA
It is likely to be a show of retaliation from North Korea to the new UN sanctions imposed on the country.
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Winfield-Hayes added: "There's a practical purpose to this [for the North Korean army] but a political one too."
The launch was initially expected on September 9.
In August, North Korea launched a missile over Japan, that landed in Japanese waters, in a 'unprecedented threat' to the country.
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On Thursday, North Korea had threatened to reduce the US to 'ashes
and darkness' - after a cold war between the two nations has developed in 2017
alone.
The threat was issued via its state news agency, as well as one to nuke Japan, after NBC reported US defence officials' claims that the regime had spent the last 48 hours moving mobile missile launches, preparing sites for launch.
News agency KCNA released a statement from a spokesperson for the regime, in which he said: "The army and people of the DPRK are unanimously demanding that the Yankees, chief culprit in cooking up the 'sanctions resolution', be beaten to death as a stick is fit for a rabid dog.
"There's limit to patience. Now is the time to annihilate the US imperialist aggressors. Let's reduce the US mainland into ashes and darkness.
"Let's vent our spite with mobilisation of all retaliation means which have been prepared before now. These are voices of the Korean army and people.
"Also heard in the DPRK are strong accusations against the Japanese who have zealously joined in the US racket for sanctions."
Credit: PA
It continued: "The behaviours of Japanese, sworn enemy of the Korean nation, are enraging us. The wicked Japanese should not be pardoned.
"A telling blow should be dealt to them, who have not yet come to their senses after the launch of our ICBM over the Japanese archipelago.
"The four islands of the archipelago should be sunken into the sea by the nuclear bomb of Juche. Japan is no longer needed to exist near us."
On Monday, the UN Security Council voted unanimously to impose new sanctions on North Korea following its recent nuclear test.
Featured Image Credit: PATopics: North Korea
