SOKOR CONFIRMS JAPAN CLAIM THAT NOKOR FIRED BALLISTIC MISSILE

North Korea may have fired a ballistic missile, Japan's defense ministry said on Thursday, adding the projectile had not fallen within Japanese territory, Reuters reported.

"It may have been a ballistic missile. It has not fallen within Japanese territory and is not believed to have come down within Japan's exclusive economic zone," a defense ministry spokesman said.

Earlier, the Japanese coast guard warned ships against coming close to any fallen objects and instead of asking them to provide related information to the coast guard.

In Seoul, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff on Thursday said North Korea fired an unidentified projectile off the east coast into the sea, thus confirming Tokyo’s claim.

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