N.Korea fires ballistic missile toward its eastern waters

North Korea fired a ballistic missile on Friday towards the sea off its east coast, South Korea and Japan said, following missile launches in the past two weeks and after US President Donald Trump's renewed invitation for talks with Pyongyang.

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South Korea's military said the suspected short-range ballistic missile was launched from an area in North Korea's northwest region near the Chinese border, travelling a distance of about 700km.

South Korean and US surveillance systems detected preparations for the launch and tracked the projectile in flight, the military said. The information was shared with Japan, it said.

The Japanese government also said North Korea had fired what could be a ballistic missile, which it said likely fell outside of Japan's exclusive economic zone.

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said there was no confirmed report of damage.