North Korea fires possible ballistic missile, Japan says

South Korea's military said North Korea fired at least one unidentified projectile toward the East Sea, also known as the Sea of Japan, on Thursday, while Japan said it may have been a ballistic missile.

“North Korea fires unidentified projectile toward East Sea,” South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a message to news organisations.

Japan's defence ministry posted on X: “Something that may be a ballistic missile has been launched from North Korea.” A later ministry post said “there is no longer any impact on the areas around Japan”.

The launch came a day after Kim Yo Jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, accused Japan of “transformation into a war state” as Tokyo expands its military posture in the Pacific. In a statement carried by North Korean state media, she said Pyongyang's leadership would set up “additional military options” in response.

Japan's Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said this week that Japan's military needed to be strengthened with a “sense of urgency and crisis”. A new Japanese government assessment warned of growing threats from China, Russia and North Korea.

Japan's defence ministry declined to comment directly on Kim Yo Jong's remarks but said Japan's defence capabilities “remain bare minimum” and “are not meant to threaten other countries”. It said Japan's defence posture was limited to self-defence and stayed within its pacifist constitution and international law.

Tokyo raised military expenditure by 9.7 percent to $62.2 billion in 2025, equivalent to 1.4 percent of GDP, its highest share since 1958.

Pyongyang has repeatedly described itself as an “irreversible” nuclear state since Kim Jong Un's 2019 summit with US President Donald Trump collapsed over denuclearisation and sanctions relief. South Korean President Lee Jae Myung has offered North Korea talks without preconditions since taking office in June 2025, but Pyongyang has not responded to those offers.