North Korea on Tuesday fired a missile that traveled about 1,000 kilometers before crashing into the Sea of Japan, the Pentagon said in a statement.

The Department of Defense said that initial assessments indicated the missile was an intercontinental ballistic missile, or ICBM. In a news conference, Japan's Defense minister also said it seemed to be an ICBM.

The missile went higher than any shot North Korea had previously taken, according to Defense Secretary James Mattis.



Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe ordered an emergency meeting of Cabinet ministers following the launch, North Korea's first since Sept. 15, when one flew over northern Japan and into the Pacific Ocean.



"A missile was launched from North Korea which appears to have landed within Japan's exclusive economic zone," Abe's office tweeted. "As soon as new information comes in, we will let you know."

The exclusive economic zone is a legal designation established by the United Nations Law of the Sea.

The South Korean military conducted a "precision missile-firing drill" as a response to the launch, a South Korean military official told NBC.