Japan's Defense Ministry says North Korea has fired a ballistic missile. Government officials say it seems to have fallen into the sea outside Japan's Exclusive Economic Zone. The officials say there have been no reports of damage so far.

Japan's Defense Ministry says the missile reached a maximum altitude of about 50 kilometers and flew a distance of approximately 800 kilometers before accurately landing on a target area in the Sea of Japan.

South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff says it was a short-range ballistic missile, and the launch site was near the North Korean city of Tongchang-ri, in the country's northwest.

North Korea last fired a ballistic missile on Thursday. The country claimed that was a "launching drill" of its new model of inter-continental ballistic missile, the Hwasong-17. That model is believed to be capable of reaching anywhere on the US mainland.

North Korea is increasing criticism of an ongoing joint military drill by the US and South Korea.

This was the seventh launch of a ballistic missile by North Korea this year.