North Korea fires ballistic missile towards Japan

North Korea fired a ballistic missile off its east coast towards Japan on Wednesday, South Korea's joint chiefs of staff said, in a move that followed threats of retaliation for alleged US spy plane flights. The missile flew about 1,000km (621 miles) before crashing into the water, South Korea's military said. Japan's chief cabinet secretary said the missile came down about 250km west of Okushiri island in Japan's northernmost Hokkaido prefecture, after a flight taking 74 minutes that reached an altitude of more than 6,000km. It took place as the top US general met his South Korean and Japanese counterparts…