North Korea 'launches ballistic missile toward Japan with ships told not to approach'

North Korea has "appeared to launch a ballistic missile towards Japan" with ships warned not to approach, officials say.

The suspected missile launch is the sixth in 12 days, marking the first since it fired an intermediate-range missile over Japan yesterday as tensions continue to rise.

In a tweet, Japan's Ministry of Defence said: "A possible ballistic missile was launched from North Korea.