Friday morning’s test, which triggered a magnitude 5.3 earthquake, drew immediate condemnation from North Korea’s neighbours and Washington. Japan called for an emergency meeting of the UN security council and its prime minister, Shinzo Abe, described North Korea’s nuclear weapons programme as a “grave threat” to Japan. Japan’s top government spokesman, Yoshihide Suga, labelled North Korea a “neighbourhood outlaw” and said Tokyo was considering a new round of bilateral sanctions. China, North Korea’s traditional ally and major aid provider, voiced its “firm opposition” to the test. There was speculation on Friday that North Korea might have given China advance notice of its plans to conduct a nuclear test.

Source: The Guardian September 09, 2016 01:14 UTC