Residents in Japan have been warned to take immediate cover after North Korea fired a missile this morning. 

The ballistic missile was launched off the east coast of the Korean Peninsula, South Korea and Japan have confirmed.

Residents on Hokkaido, Japan’s northernmost main island, were told to take cover in a warning that has since been retracted.

The launch comes just two days after North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong Un, called for a strengthening of the country’s war deterrence in response to alleged aggressive moves by the United States.

Image: Korea Summit Press Pool/Getty Images