US 'stands behind Japan' after North Korea's missile launch
Video report by ITV News Washington Correspondent Robert Moore
Donald Trump has vowed that the United States is "100%" behind Japan after North Korea fired a ballistic missile in the first such test since he took office as president.
The missile fell in seas between the Korean Peninsula and Japan after flying around 500 kilometres, South Korean officials said.
South Korea said the test launch shows the "irrational nature" of a government that "fanatically" obsesses with developing nuclear ballistic missiles and condemned it as a "blatant and obvious" violation of UN Security Council resolutions and a "serious threat" to international security.
Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who has been on a visit to the US, said the latest test is "absolutely intolerable" and urged North Korea to comply with relevant UN Security Council resolutions
Mr Trump assured Mr Abe that "America stands behind Japan, its great ally, 100%".
The launch come days before the North is to mark the birthday of leader Kim Jong Un's late father, Kim Jong Il.
The Trump administration said that it had been expecting a provocation from North Korea, and would weigh all options in an effort to show resolve but avoid escalation.
It added that it would press China to do more to rein in the country.
The US Strategic Command said it had detected and tracked what it assessed was a medium or intermediate-range ballistic missile.
The command said the launch occurred near the north-western city of Kusong.
North Korea tested ballistic missiles at an unprecedented rate during 2016.
So far there has been no comment from North Korea about the missile test.