North Korea conducts ballistic missile test

North Korea has fired a ballistic missile, the first such test since Donald Trump took office as US president.

South Korean officials say that the launch took place at 07:55pm local time on Saturday from the Banghyon air base in North Pyongan province on the west side of the Korean peninsula.

The missile, which appeared to be a Rodong miedium-range one, flew east towards the Sea of Japan for about 500km.

Trump assured Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe that "America stands behind Japan, its great ally, 100%".

Speaking at a joint press conference during a visit to the US, Abe warned that the test was “absolutely intolerable” and added that Trump had assured him that he was committed to "further enforcing our alliance".

During his election campaign, Trump argued that US defence commitments to Japan and South Korea were unfair and called for Japan to pay the full cost of stationing US troops on its soil.

In January, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un warned that his military was close to testing long-range missiles capable of reaching the United States and carrying nuclear warheads.

Trump derided the claim in a tweet, saying: "It won't happen."

On a visit to South Korea last week, US Defence Secretary James Mattis warned that any use of nuclear weapons by North Korea would be met with an "effective and overwhelming" response.

He also reconfirmed plans to deploy a US missile defence system in South Korea later this year.

South Korea's foreign ministry said that "North Korea's repeated provocations show the Kim Jong-un regime's nature of irrationality, maniacally obsessed in its nuclear and missile development".

There has so far been no comment from North Korea.

North Korea conducted its fifth test of a nuclear device last year, and claims it is capable of carrying out a nuclear attack on the US, but experts are still unconvinced that its technology has progressed that far.