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North Korea conducts missile test over Japan

STORY: North Korea conducted its longest-range missile test yet on Tuesday, firing a ballistic missile over Japan for the first time in five years.

South Koreans watched a news report of the launch at a railway station in the capital Seoul.

The missile appeared to fly over Japanese territory before falling into the Pacific Ocean.

In Japan, the government issued an alert warning its citizens to take cover and stay inside buildings.

The launch also caused a temporary suspension of train operations in the north of the country.

Pyongyang's latest launch drew condemnation from leaders in neighboring countries, from South Korea's President Yoon Suk-yeol to Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.

Tokyo said it took no steps to shoot the missile down.

But defense Minister Yasukazu said Japan wouldn't rule out counterattack capabilities.

The latest launch was Pyongyang's fifth in 10 days, and comes a week after anti-submarine drills were held between the U.S., South Korea and Japan.

Recent missile tests have drawn relatively muted responses from Washington, which is focused on the war in Ukraine as well as other domestic and foreign issues.

Washington has strongly condemned this most recent missile however, calling the decision both 'dangerous' and 'reckless'.

Last week, South Korean lawmakers said the North has completed preparations for a nuclear test, which it might look to undertake sometime between China's Communist Party Congress this month, and U.S. mid-term elections in November.