South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, Japan’s Ministry of Defense and the Japanese Prime Minister’s Office all said the launch of a possible ballistic missile had been detected.
Japan’s Coast Guard sent an alert out to vessels at 6:56 a.m. local time Sunday (5:56 p.m. eastern time Saturday).
“Vessels are advised to pay attention to further information and if they see any falling objects, please do not approach them and report relevant information to the Japan Coast Guard,” it said.
In an update 15 minutes later it said the missile is believed to have landed in the sea.
The apparent missile launch comes after the USS Ronald Reagan carrier strike group arrived in South Korea’s southeastern port city of Busan on Friday.
The US and South Korean navy are expected to conduct combined drills this month.
The launch also comes shortly before US Vice President Kamala Harris is expected to visit Japan and South Korea.
She will stop first in Tokyo to attend a state funeral for Japan’s assassinated former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe before heading to South Korea.
