"A missile was launched today at around 10:15 am (0115 GMT)," the spokesman said. "But we don't know any more details."

Kyodo and Jiji news agencies quoted Land, Infrastructure and Transport minister Chikage Ogi as announcing the missile launch in parliament.

"We have a preliminary report that the missile was the same as the previous one, with a range of 60 kilometers (38 miles)," Ogi was quoted as saying by Jiji.

North Korea test-fired short-range anti-ship missiles on February 24 and March 10.

Speculation has been rife in the Japanese media that North Korea would test fire another missile around the time of Japan's placing into orbit last Friday its first two spy satellites, a move denounced by Pyongyang as a "hostile act" that could spark a new arms race.

SPACE.WIRE