TOKYO, December 18. /TASS/. Japan has made a formal diplomatic protest to North Korea after a missile launch by Pyongyang, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said.

"We have lodged a resolute protest via diplomatic channels in Beijing," the senior Japanese official said.

According to the Japanese Defense Ministry, what appears to be an intercontinental ballistic missile, launched by the People’s Democratic Republic of Korea (DPRK) earlier on Monday, flew 1,000 km for 73 minutes reaching a maximum altitude of 6,000 km. It could have a range of over 15,000 km and the entire US territory would be within the range.

The projectile fell 650 km west of Okushiri Island outside the Japanese exclusive economic zone, 20 km off the island of Hokkaido.