In one of its most provocative military acts yet during a period of escalating tensions, North Korea fired a ballistic missile over Japan before 6 a.m. on Tuesday (August 29).

The missile flew over Erimo-misaki (Cape Erimo) on the Japanese northern island of Hokkaido. It was in flight for about 15 minutes before it broke into three pieces and fell into the Pacific Ocean approximately 1,180 kilometres (733 miles) from the eastern coast. 

The launch triggered emergency warnings in Japan. Northern Japanese residents were awoken by sirens and messages from the government to seek shelter in a strong structure or basement.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe declared the action an “unprecedented, serious and grave threat”. 

According to reports, South Korean military confirmed that the missile was launched near the North Korean capital of Pyongyang. 

Abe was reported to have spoken with U.S. President Donald Trump and both agreed to increase pressure on North Korea. Meanwhile, South Korea and the U.S. are discussing deploying additional strategic assets.