North Korea launches ballistic missiles after US and South Korea bolster nuclear deterrence plans

North Korea has tested a long-range ballistic missile that is theoretically capable of striking anywhere on the US mainland, Japan officials said, in the regime’s first round of missile tests for about a month.

The missile appeared to have flown about 1,000km (620 miles) and reached a maximum altitude of more than 6,000km before landing in the sea east of the Korean peninsula on Monday.

Shingo Miyake, Japan’s parliamentary vice-minister of defence, said the missile could have a range of over 15,000km, depending on the trajectory and size of the warhead....