Asia: North Korea likely fires ballistic missile, Japan says

Tokyo. North Korea has likely fired a ballistic missile, according to the Japanese Ministry of Defense, on Wednesday. This was the second such weapons test in less than a week. The Ministry of Defense announced that the suspected missile crashed into the sea. The South Korean news agency Yonhap reported, citing the South Korean military, that North Korea fired an unidentified projectile off its east coast.

The reported launch came two days after South Korea and the US announced they would begin their annual large-scale military exercise next week to strengthen their readiness in the face of the threat from North Korea. The exercise, named "Ulchi Freedom Shield," is likely to provoke a counter-reaction from North Korea, which views the drills as preparation for an invasion.

In the past, North Korea has responded to major South Korean-US military drills with weapons tests and harsh rhetoric. Just last week, South Korea, the US, and Japan detected the launch of a short-range ballistic missile by North Korea, which was the first known test of ballistic weapons by the country since late June. North Korea did not confirm the launch but typically releases details of weapons tests a day later.