North Korea fired a surprise test missile over northern Japan yesterday, “markinga sharp escalation of tensions on the Korean peninsula,” Reuters reports. The missile, which landed in the waters surrounding the island of Hokkaido with no harm done, was fired as US and South Korean troops rallied in the area for annual military drills to which North Korea objects. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe described the act as “unprecedented, serious and a grave threat to our nation.”

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