Japan reports suspected North Korean ballistic missile launch

North Korea launched a suspected ballistic missile.

North Korea fires a ballistic missile off its eastern coast Sept. 20, 2026, in this image from the state-run Korean Central News Agency. (Korean Central News Agency) TOKYO — North Korea launched a suspected ballistic missile Monday morning, Japan’s Prime Minister’s Office said in an emergency alert on X. The 9:35 a.m. alert did not provide details about the missile’s flight path, landing location or whether it entered Japan’s exclusive economic zone, which extends about 230 miles from the country’s coast. The reported launch came nine days after North Korea fired a ballistic missile from near Wonsan toward the Sea of Japan, also known as the East Sea.

That launch followed a dispute over a September landmine explosion in the Demilitarized Zone, the heavily fortified border separating the two Koreas. The blast injured three South Korean soldiers. North Korea denied responsibility. Pyongyang has continued developing ballistic missiles despite United Nations Security Council resolutions prohibiting them. EUCOM boss lays out his plan to defeat a Russian invasion, avoid wider war Lincoln families reflect on difficult deployment with mix of emotions Hundreds of USS Arizona families expected for Dec. 7 disinterment of WWII unknowns