A man watches a TV broadcasting a news report on North Korea firing a ballistic missile over Japan, at a railway station in Seoul, South Korea, October 4, 2022. (REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji)

It was the first North Korean missile to follow such a trajectory since 2017, and its estimated 4,600 km range was the longest travelled by a North Korean test missile, which are usually "lofted" high into space to avoid flying over neighbouring countries.

In response to the test, US and South Korean warplanes practised bombing a target in the Yellow Sea and Japan warned its citizens to take cover and suspended some train services while the missile passed over its north before falling into the Pacific Ocean.

Japan said it took no steps to shoot the missile down but Defence Minister Yasukazu Hamada said it would not rule out any options, including counterattack capabilities.

The United States strongly condemned North Korea's "dangerous and reckless" launch.