North Korean missile expected to fall in Japan's exclusive economic waters: Tokyo

A suspected intercontinental ballistic missile fired by North Korea is "currently flying" and may fall into Japan's economic waters, Tokyo's defence ministry said on Friday.

"North Korea launched an ICBM-class ballistic missile from near the western coast of the Korean Peninsula at around 10.14am (01.14 GMT) today," it said in a statement.

"Details are being analysed, but the fired ballistic missile is currently flying and may fall into the Sea of Japan within Japan's exclusive economic zone (EEZ)."

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Japan's coastguard, citing the defence ministry, said the missile was expected to fall in the waters around 210km west of Oshima Oshima Island off Hokkaido in Northern Japan at around 11.20am local time (02.20 GMT), but there was no immediate confirmation it had landed.

It was Pyongyang's second launch in two days as the isolated state continues a record-breaking blitz that has sent fears of a nuclear test soaring.

A South Korean defence official told AFP they "estimated that North Korea had fired an ICBM", without giving further details.

Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) earlier said it had detected the "launch of an unidentified ballistic missile in an eastward direction".

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