The leader of nuclear-armed North Korea has blamed the united state for tensions in the Korean peninsula. He has defended Pyongyang's weapon program, claiming it is necessary in the face of hostile united States.

Kim Jong Un: US reason for tension in Korean peninsula

The remark was made after North Korea?on Tuesday fired a ballistic missile over Japan

As North Korea fires missile over Japan, China says tensions reached 'tipping point'

Money market futures are now pricing in about a 40 per cent chance the Fed will raise rates by December, compared to just under 50 per cent before the Fed's minutes

Asia shares up as North Korea tensions ease, wary Fed weighs on dollar

Trump has been engaged all week in verbal sparring with the North over its weapons and missile programmes, as US media reported Pyongyang has successfully miniaturised a nuclear warhead

Over phone call, Xi urges Trump to avoid exacerbating North Korea tensions

Priceline sank 6.9 percent as it projected third-quarter earnings below analyst expectations

US stocks fall as North Korea worries rise

In currency markets, the dollar dropped as low as 109.74 yen, its lowest in about two months, from 110.39 yen in New York and the upper half of the 110-yen range in Tokyo earlier Tuesday.

Tokyo stocks fall as US-North Korea tensions rise