The Japanese government has convened an emergency meeting of its response team at the Prime Minister's Office to gather and analyze information on North Korea's launch of what may be a ballistic missile.

The team of officials from relevant ministries were hastily gathered on Tuesday morning.

The latest launch comes less than a week after North Korea test-fired what Japan's Defense Ministry believes to be a new type of ballistic missile.

That missile was launched eastward from inland North Korea last Wednesday. Ministry officials say it reached a maximum altitude of about 50 kilometers and would have flown 500 kilometers under a normal trajectory.

The missile is presumed to have fallen into the Sea of Japan, outside Japan's exclusive economic zone.

Last year, North Korea launched six projectiles that were either confirmed or presumed to be ballistic missiles.