The United States quickly condemned the launch and vowed to take “all necessary measures” to guarantee the security of its territory and its allies South Korea and Japan. Vice President Kamala Harris met with the leaders of those countries and Australia, Canada and New Zealand participating in a regional forum in Bangkok to discuss the launch. “We again call on North Korea to cease further illegal, destabilizing actions. On behalf of the United States, I reaffirm our ironclad commitment to our Indo-Pacific alliances,” Harris said at the start of the meeting. “Together the countries represented here will continue to urge North Korea to commit to serious and sustained diplomacy.” North Korea’s recent spate of weapons tests is aimed at advancing its nuclear arsenal and winning greater concessions in future diplomacy. It comes as China and Russia have opposed US moves to strengthen UN sanctions aimed at curbing North Korea’s nuclear program. South Korea’s General Staff said it detected the launch of an ICBM from the area of ​​the North Korean capital around 10:15 a.m. Japan said it appeared to fly into a high orbit and land west of the island of Hokkaido. According to South Korean and Japanese estimates, the missile flew 6,000–6,100 km (3,600–3,790 mi) at a maximum height of 1,000 km (620 mi). Japanese Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada said that depending on the weight of a potential warhead, the missile had a range of more than 15,000 kilometers (9,320 miles), “in which case it could cover the entire mainland United States.” US National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson said the launch “unnecessarily escalates tensions” and shows North Korea is prioritizing its illicit weapons programs over the well-being of its people. “Pyongyang must immediately cease its destabilizing actions and instead choose diplomatic engagement,” Watson said. In his opening remarks at the meeting in Bangkok, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida called the launch “totally unacceptable,” saying the missile landed inside Japan’s exclusive economic zone west of Hokkaido. South Korean Prime Minister Han Dak-soo said the international community must work together to make North Korea realize that each of its provocations only deepens its international isolation and economic difficulties. Later on Friday, South Korea’s military said F-35 fighter jets conducted simulated airstrikes on North Korean mobile missile launchers at a firing range near its land border with North Korea. It said a group of eight South Korean and US fighter jets separately conducted a training flight off the east coast of the Korean Peninsula. The drills “demonstrated that we have a strong resolve to deal sternly with an ICBM launch and any other provocations and threats from North Korea, as well as the overwhelming ability and readiness of allies to launch precision strikes on the enemy,” South Korea’s General Staff said. he said in a statement. South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol earlier ordered officials to boost security cooperation with the United States and Japan and implement unspecified deterrence measures previously agreed to with Washington. Yun also ordered officials to push for strong international condemnation and sanctions on North Korea, according to his office. North Korea also launched an ICBM on Nov. 3, but experts said the weapon failed to fly its intended flight and fell into the ocean after a phased separation. This test is believed to have involved a developmental missile called the Hwasong-17. North Korea has two other types of ICBMs – Hwasong-14 and Hwasong-15 – and their test launches in 2017 showed that they could potentially reach parts of the US homeland. The Hwasong-17 has a longer possible range than the others and its sheer size suggests it is designed to carry multiple nuclear warheads to defeat missile defense systems. Some experts say the Nov. 3 test showed some progress in its development, since a Hwansong-17 exploded shortly after takeoff in a previous test in March. It was not immediately known whether North Korea launched a Hwasong-17 missile on Friday or something else. In recent months, North Korea has conducted dozens of shorter-range missile tests, which it called simulations of nuclear attacks on South Korean and US targets. But it halted weapons launches for about a week before launching a short-range ballistic missile on Thursday. Ahead of that launch, North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui threatened to unleash “tougher” military responses to US moves to strengthen its security commitment to South Korea and Japan. Choe was referring to President Joe Biden’s recent meeting with Yun and Kishida on the sidelines of a regional gathering in Cambodia. In their joint statement, the three leaders strongly condemned North Korea’s recent missile tests and agreed to work together to strengthen deterrence. Biden reaffirmed the US commitment to defend South Korea and Japan with a full range of capabilities, including nuclear weapons. Choe did not outline what steps North Korea might take, but said “the US will be well aware that they are taking a gamble, which they will certainly regret.” North Korea sees the US military presence in the region as evidence of US hostility. It said its recent weapons launches were a response to provocative military exercises between the United States and South Korea. There have been concerns that North Korea may conduct its first nuclear test in five years as the next major step in bolstering its military capability against the United States and its allies. North Korea has faced multiple rounds of sanctions from the United Nations for its past nuclear and missile tests. However, no new sanctions have been imposed this year as it has carried out dozens of ballistic missile launches, which are prohibited by UN Security Council resolutions. China and Russia, two of the Security Council’s veto-wielding members, oppose the new UN sanctions. Washington is locked in a strategic rivalry with Beijing and a standoff with Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine.

Yamaguchi reported from Tokyo. Associated Press writer Krutika Pathi in Bangkok contributed to this report.