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North Korea fired an apparent intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) on Saturday, Japan’s Defense Ministry said, with the weapon splashing down some 200 kilometers off Hokkaido’s Oshima Island, inside Japan’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

The missile, the first “ICBM-class” weapon to be fired by the North since November, traveled roughly 900 km, hitting a peak altitude of 5,700 km, the ministry said. With a flight time of 66 minutes, the missile was flown on a “lofted” trajectory, meaning it had been nearly shot straight up so as to avoid overflying neighboring countries, The Japan Times reported.

The South Korean military also confirmed the firing of a “long-range” missile, the North’s first launch since the early morning hours of Jan. 1. It said the launch had taken place from the Sunan area of Pyongyang.

The launch comes ahead of joint tabletop military drills between the U.S. and South Korea set for next week in Washington to hone their response to the potential use of nuclear weapons by North Korea.