Japan's Defense Ministry said North Korea fired a possible ballistic missile toward the sea on Wednesday, the second such weapons launch in less than a week, according to infohub.kz.
The ministry said the suspected weapon has landed in the waters. Yonhap news agency, citing South Korea's military, reported that North Korea fired an unidentified projectile off its east coast.
The reported launch came two days after South Korea and the United States said they will kick off their annual large-scale military drills next week to beef up readiness against North Korean threats. The drills, called Ulchi Freedom Shield, were expected to draw an angry response from North Korea, which views them as a rehearsal for invasion. North Korea has previously responded to such drills with provocative weapons tests and harsh rhetoric.
Last week, South Korea, the U.S. and Japan detected the launch of a short-range ballistic missile from North Korea, the North's first ballistic weapons test since late June. North Korea did not confirm that launch, though it usually releases details of weapons tests a day later.