A North Korean missile launch in September. (Source: KCNA)

Military experts say this is most likely a test launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) on a vertical trajectory. Authorities are continuing to analyze detailed parameters of the missile type and flight path.

According to NHK , on ​​the morning of October 31, the Japan Coast Guard (JCG) cited information from the Ministry of Defense, saying that the object suspected to be a ballistic missile was discovered at 7:16 a.m. (local time, 5:16 a.m. Hanoi time). The country has issued a warning to ships operating in the area.

According to a Japanese government official, as of 7:45 a.m., the object was still in flight. The expected crash site was outside Japan's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) in the Sea of ​​Japan.

The Crisis Management Center at the Japanese Prime Minister's Office is actively gathering information on the incident.

This is Pyongyang's first missile launch after 43 days of silence, since the test on September 18.

In that launch, North Korea tested a new type of tactical ballistic missile Hwasong-11da-4.5 with a 4.5-ton warhead along with a cruise missile.

Notably, the latest launch took place just one day after the South Korean and US defense ministers held the Security Consultative Meeting (SCM) in Washington.

During the meeting, US and South Korean defense leaders called on North Korea to withdraw its troops from Russia, after Washington confirmed that Pyongyang had deployed about 10,000 troops to serve against Ukrainian forces.

Also here, South Korean Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun predicted that North Korea could conduct an ICBM test or another nuclear test around the time of the US presidential election.