North Korea launches a suspected ballistic missile, Japan says

North Korea fired a possible ballistic missile towards the sea on Wednesday, Japan’s Defence Ministry said, the second such weapons launch in less than a week.

The Defence Ministry said the suspected weapon has landed in the water.

Yonhap news agency, citing South Korea’s military, reported that North Korea fired an unidentified projectile off North Korea’s east coast.

The missile appeared to have landed outside Japan’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) in the sea, Japan’s NHK reported.

North ‌Korea fired the missile from the Wonsan area at around 6am local time, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said.

South Korea’s presidential office was holding a meeting on Wednesday to call for a stop to provocations, local media reported.

The launch comes as South Korea and ‌the United States plan to conduct major joint military drills from August 17 to 27 to counter North Korea’s ‌evolving nuclear and weapons capabilities. Pyongyang has in previous years ⁠denounced the ⁠annual drills as a provocation.