NORTH Korea provoked fears of World War Three after firing a missile over Japan powerful enough to carry a nuke bomb.

Dictator Kim Jong-un’s latest outrage sparked a furious reaction, with US president Donald Trump threatening a response.

18 The South dropped bombs near the North in response to the missile launch over Japan Credit: Handout - Getty

18 Four 5-15K fighter jets dropped eight MK-84 bombs on targets at a military field near the border Credit: Handout - Getty

18 Kim Jong-Un fired a missile over Japan prompting the country's government to issue a major warning Credit: AFP or licensors

The rocket flew 1,700 miles, soaring over the northern Hokkaido island of Japan and crashing into the Pacific 700 miles beyond the coast.

Millions of Japanese were woken by text messages urging them to seek cover as the nightmare unfolded.

Loudspeakers broadcast the news in the streets and railway stations while TV and radio issued warnings.

It was feared to be the secretive state’s first test-fire of a missile capable of carrying a nuclear weapon.

And Mr Trump declared: “The world has received North Korea’s latest message loud and clear.”

He added the actions “only increase the North Korean regime’s isolation”.

18 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe branded the launch as a 'most serious and grave' threat Credit: AP:Associated Press

18 South Korean army's K-9 self-propelled howitzers move on the street in Paju, South Korea Credit: AP:Associated Press

18 A U-2 ultra-high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft lands at the US air force's Osan air base, south of Seoul, South Korea Credit: EPA

18 South Korean soldiers carry out an army exercise today as tensions in the region mount Credit: AP:Associated Press

18 Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson has said he is "outraged" by the "reckless provocation" of North Korea's latest missile launch

And he warned: “All options are on the table.”

Just weeks ago he told North Korea it would face “fire and fury” if it threatened the US again.

The rocket is believed to have been fired over Japan because it is on the path towards the US Pacific territory of Guam, which Jong-un threatened to attack two weeks ago. It fell short of Guam by 400 miles.

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Japan’s PM Shinzo Abe said: “North Korea’s reckless action is unprecedented, serious and a grave threat to our nation.”

After he spoke to Mr Trump, the White House revealed the two leaders agreed North Korea posed a “grave and growing threat”.

PM Theresa May refused to abandon a three-day trade mission to Japan overshadowed by the global crisis.

Alarm from the JP Gov again. "A North Korean missile passed over this area. If you find suspicious things, please never touch them." pic.twitter.com/EbYioe2VpZ — Chihok@ドールショウ61・5B-37 (@Chihokomoriya) August 28, 2017

18 North Korea fired a ballistic missile from its capital Pyongyang that flew over Japan before plunging into the northern Pacific Ocean, officials said Credit: AP:Associated Press

18 People in Japan woke to news reports of the launch as residents in Tokyo walk by a screen showing the launch Credit: AP:Associated Press

And she pledged support for harsher punishment for Jong-un at the UN.

In a show of strength hours after the launch, South Korean war jets dropped 84 bombs on a target range near the border with the North.

China warned tensions had reached a “tipping point”.

The Hwasong-12 rocket was launched from near the capital Pyongyang at 6am yesterday Korean time.

Japan and the US both have anti-missile systems in the region but there was no attempt to shoot it down.

18 Screens in the Japanese capital were full of images of the North Korean leader as the country woke to news of the missile launch Credit: EPA

18 South Korea's Defence Ministry today released footage of it's own missile tests which it says were undertaken last week Credit: AP:Associated Press

18 People watch a TV screen showing a file footage of North Korea's missile launch Credit: AP:Associated Press

18 Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF) soldiers take part in a drill to mobilise their Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) missile unit Credit: Reuters

18 Japan's military are responding to North Korea's recent missile launch Credit: Reuters

18 Troops could be seen taking part in a drill at U.S. Air Force Yokota Air Base in Fussa on the outskirts of Tokyo Credit: Reuters

Woke up with an alarm saying that North Korea has launched a missile and that it could hit Japan.I can't go back to sleep pic.twitter.com/DvURyZLrVM — RANE (@flurffyrane) August 28, 2017

18 A missile was launched from North Korea and landed in the Sea of Japan, file image Credit: EPA

18 North Korean soldiers participating in a target-striking contest of the special operation forces of the Korean People's Army (KPA) to occupy islands at an undisclosed location this month (file image) Credit: EPA

He is a bad guy, but no Bond villain KIM Jong-un is a bad guy, but no Bond villain. Yes, the world is being blackmailed. But no way is he going to actually fire this stuff at South Korea or Japan, let alone the US. That would be suicidal, and Kim is no fanatic. He enjoys life. Just look at the guy. Also, still young and green, he needs to prove his mettle to the tough generals around him. What better way than to forge ahead with weapons of mass destruction (WMD) like dad and grandad before him? He also loves playing games of brinkmanship. North Korea has long seen the world in Tom and Jerry terms. Wiser past US presidents were less eager to be cast as the big dumb cat. Yes, the missile launches are coming thick and fast, each more provocative than the last. Recently Kim threatened to lob four toward Guam, which hosts big US air bases. Then he decided not to, for the moment. Donald Trump even thanked him for that, bizarrely. The latest rocket flew over Japan. Outrageous and reckless, but not a first. His father Kim Jong-il did the same in 1998, and again in 2003. Why? For good reasons, in their own eyes. Forget the lazy “mad dictator” clichés. Kim knows what he’s doing. Every move is calculated — unlike Trump’s “fire and fury” tweets. George W Bush put North Korea on his axis of evil — then invaded Iraq, the first country so listed. Iraq, it turned out, had no WMD. But North Korea sure as hell does. So for all the rhetoric, this is basically about self-defence. Overflying Japan is a typically cunning move. Nobody loves Japan much. China and Korea (including South Korea) have never forgotten nor forgiven its brutal pre-1945 aggression. Right-wing premier Shinzo Abe wants to revise Japan’s constitution to have bigger armed forces. Once popular, he is now struggling over scandals involving giving plum jobs to pals. Kim hopes his missile will weaken Abe further, though there is a risk it may backfire and rekindle support for him.

Why doesn’t China rein in Kim? It could cut off oil and other supplies. Yet China hasn’t consistently enforced UN sanctions for a reason. All this looks different seen from Beijing. What’s even worse than a nuclear North Korea? A unified Korea, with US bases, right on China’s border. Xi Jinping will never let that happen. And given how the world is, both Xi and Vladimir Putin are enjoying seeing Trump squirm and flail. Are we on the brink of nuclear Armageddon? Not likely. But it would help if Trump stopped falling into Kim’s traps. There is no military option. Forget it. Steve Bannon, Trump’s sacked strategy director, summed this up: “They got us.” As Bannon noted, any US strike on North Korea would prompt the Korean People’s Army to retaliate by raining fire on South Korea — which America is supposed to be protecting, not endangering. Greater Seoul, where 24million live in high-rises, is within artillery range of the border — never mind missiles. What’s the alternative? It’s simple, if unpalatable. Kim wants recognition as a nuclear power. That sticks in many craws, but it’s a fact. Like India and Pakistan, North Korea has the bomb and the means to deliver it. We can’t put our heads in the sand. Prevention has failed. As Winston Churchill said, jaw-jaw is better than war-war. Diplomacy is the only option left. Fake macho posturing from Washington solves nothing. The nuclear genie is out of the bottle, like it or not. On a good day Trump has said he could talk to Kim, over a hamburger. Time to light that barbecue. Better than lighting the nuclear touchpaper. By Aidan Foster-Carter

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