Time for talk is OVER: Trump & Japan agree to ramp up pressure on North Korea

Mr Abe denounced the launch as an “unprecedented and grave threat” to the country’s security after over the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido before crashing into the sea.

In a 40-minute phone call with President Trump, the two leaders agreed to call for an emergency meeting of the UN security council as the odds of an all-out conflict continue to drop.

Japanese media claim ”the latest launch makes it clear” the time is not right for dialogue with and increased pressure is instead necessary, quoting a senior Tokyo official.

Meanwhile, President Trump reportedly reaffirmed his commitment to maintaining peace in the region, telling Abe the US is “100 per cent with Japan”.

Mr Trump and Mr Abe also agreed in addressing the North Korea issue.

Speaking after his phone call with the American leader, Mr Abe told reporters: “The outrageous act of firing a missile over our country is an unprecedented, serious and grave threat and greatly damages regional peace and security.”

Tuesday morning’s launch was the third North Korean missile to have passed over Japanese territory, with the first in 1998 and the second in 2009.

Officials in South Korea believe the missile, thought to be a new intermediate range Hwasong-12, may have flown further than any other North Korean test and comes just weeks after Pyongyang threatened to strike the US territory of Guam.

Shortly after the missile was launched, the Japanese government’s J-Alert warning system advised people in the area to take precautions.

Warnings were issued across Hokkaido, Aomori, Iwate, Miyagi, Akita, Yamagata, Fukushima, Ibaraki, Tochigi, Gunma, Niigata and Nagano.

But public broadcaster NHK said there was no sign of damage and the Japanese military did not attempt to shoot down the missile.

It passed over Japanese territory at around 6:06am local time before breaking into three pieces, officials in Tokyo said.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in ordered a show of “overwhelming” force in response to the launch and four South Korean jets staged a live bombing drill on Tuesday.

Mr Moon’s chief press secretary, Yoon Young-chan, confirmed the drill was ordered by the South Korean military after an urgent National Security Council meeting.

He added: “We assessed North Korea’s provocations as extremely severe and decided to maintain a vigilant posture in preparation for the possibility of additional provocations by North Korea.”