N Korea fires ICBM into sea off Japan

North Korea yesterday fired an intercontinental ballistic missile in one of its most powerful tests ever, with Japan saying the weapon may have had the range to hit the United States mainland.

The missile was believed to have landed in Japan's exclusive economic zone (EEZ), Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said as he blasted the launch as "absolutely unacceptable".

The launch is Pyongyang's second in two days and part of a record-breaking blitz in recent weeks, which North Korea -- and some allies including Moscow -- blame on the US boosting regional security cooperation, including joint military exercises.

The missile flew 1,000 km at an altitude of 6,100 km, South's military said, only slightly less than the ICBM Pyongyang fired on March 24, which appeared to be North's most powerful such test yet.