North Korea on Wednesday fired an intercontinental ballistic missile that flew for more than 70 minutes, Japan’s Defense Ministry said, marking a potential new round of confrontation with Washington and its allies, writes CNN.

The 74-minute flight time represents a marginal advancement on the missiles tested by North Korea in March and April of this year, both of which were also ICBMs – weapons with the required range to potentially hit the continental United States.

Wednesday’s launch, which landed in waters near to Japan, comes after Pyongyang earlier this week threatened to shoot down US military reconnaissance aircraft engaging in what it called “hostile espionage” activities near its territory.

The missile launch and fiery rhetoric, while not unusual for Pyongyang, arrives during a period of heightened tensions on the peninsula, as Washington and Seoul ramp up their defense cooperation. It also appears timed to coincide with the NATO summit in Lithuania, where leaders from South Korea, Japan and the US are meeting to discuss security issues – including the threat posed by North Korea.

The latest missile launch, the country’s first in three months, flew a distance of 1,000 km and at an altitude of over 6,000 km, Japan’s Defense Ministry said.

Flight times give an indication of a missile’s range. North Korea tests most of its missiles on a highly lofted trajectory so they splash down in nearby waters, rather than a flatter trajectory as would be used in an actual attack.