North Korea claims it's successfully tested a new intercontinental ballistic missile, capable of hitting anywhere in the world.
The South Korean military and Japanese government say the missile flew 930 kilometres before landing in Japan's Exclusive Economic Zone.
Tokyo has strongly protested what it calls a clear violation of UN resolutions.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe says the latest test shows North Korea is getting even more dangerous.
"North Korea once again forcefully fired a ballistic missile. They ignore the repeated warning from the international community. This missile launch clearly shows that North Korea's threat has increased."
United States Pacific Command says it detected and tracked the missile for 37 minutes near an airfield in Panghyon, about 100 kilometres northwest of North Korea's capital, Pyongyang.
South Korean President Moon Jae-in has convened a national security council meeting, saying South Korea is analysing exaclty what type of missile was launched.
"According to the primary judgements made by the US and South Korea governments, this launch is believed to be an intermediate-range ballistic missile. However we are analysing with a possibility that the missile may have been an intercontinental ballistic missile-class. If it is an ICBM, we will find a necessary countermeasure for it."
Japan is due to meet the United States and South Korea in a trilateral summit on North Korea at the G20 meeting later this week.
Earlier this week, North Korea was a key topic in phone calls between US President Donald Trump and the leaders of China and Japan, who both reaffirmed their commitment to a denuclearised Korean Peninsula.
After that meeting China's United Nations ambassador and president of the Security Council for July, Liu Jieyi, said the situation in North Korea could grow out of control.
"Currently, tension is high and we certainly we would like to see a de-escalation of tension because if tension only goes up, and goes up only, then sooner or later it will get out of control. And the consequences would be disastrous."
United States President Donald Trump, responding to the latest launch, wrote on Twitter:
"North Korea has just launched another missile. Does this guy have anything better to do with his life?", an apparent reference to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
North Korea has conducted missile-related activities at an unprecedented pace since the start of last year, but analysts say it is years away from having a nuclear-tipped ICBM.
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