North Korea has fired a suspected missile over Japan, in what appears to be a deliberate escalation to get the attention of Tokyo and Washington.

The ballistic missile travelled about 4,500km before falling into the Pacific Ocean. The journey of the missile was far enough to hit the US island of Guam if it took another trajectory.

The launch saw Japan issue a rare alert to some citizens to take cover. Residents in the north of Japan, including Hokkaido island and Aomori city, reportedly woke up to the noise of sirens and text alerts which read: “North Korea appears to have launched a missile. Please evacuate into buildings or underground”.

As the missile flew overhead, they were warned to look out for falling debris. Many appeared to remain calm according to reports, with one video showing Tokyo commuters walking calmly as loudspeakers blared out warnings.

Aomori resident, Kazuko Ebina, stated that: “If a missile hit, I was worried it would be a big problem not only here but also nationwide”.

Officials later revealed that the intermediate-range ballistic missile fell into the Pacific Ocean far from Japan, and there were no reported injuries. It had covered the longest distance ever travelled by a North Korean missile, and reached a height of around 1000km – higher than the International Space Station.

Japan’s Prime Minister, Fumio Kishida, described the launch as a “violent behaviour”, while defence minister, Yasukazu Hamada, highlighted that Japan would not rule out any options to strengthen its defences including “counterattack capabilities”.

Missile tests by North Korea criticised

The US National Security Council spokesperson, Adrienne Watson, called it a “dangerous and reckless decision” that was “destabilising” to the region.

The missile launch is the first for North Korea over Japan since 2017. The launch comes as Japan, the US and South Korea have been working together to strengthen their defences, in response to the growing threat posed by the North.

A week prior, the three countries conducted naval exercises together for the first time since 2017. Such drills have long antagonised Pyongyang leader, Kim Jong-un, who views them as proof that his enemies are preparing for war.

Following the combined exercises in 2017, North Korea fired two missiles over Japan in response. A week later, it conducted a nuclear test.

According to recent intelligence, North Korea is getting ready to test another nuclear weapon. It is expected that North Korea would wait till after China, its main ally, holds its Communist party congress later this month.

The missile launch is the fifth carried out by Pyongyang in a week. On Saturday October 1, 2022, two rockets came down in waters outside Japan’s exclusive economic zone.

These actions have contributed to enduring tensions between North Korea and Japan, rooted in Japan’s previous colonisation of Korea from 1910 to 1945 and the North’s abduction of Japanese citizens in the past.

Earlier this month, North Korea passed a law declaring itself to be a nuclear weapons state, with leader Kim Jong-un ruling out the possibility of talks on denuclearisation. Pyongyang conducted six nuclear tests between 2006 and 2017, incurring widespread sanctions.

The East Asian state regularly defies the ban on nuclear and missile tests, saying it needs to bolster its defences.