TOKYO, December 18. /TASS/. North Korea launched what is believed to be a ballistic missile into the Sea of Japan on Sunday, Japan Coast Guard reported.

According to the Coast Guard, the rocket has already fallen, but more accurate official information about the place of the fall is not available at the moment.

Japanese patrol ships are urging ships in the region not to approach them if rocket fragments are found, but to immediately contact the authorities. At the same time, according to NHK TV channel’s government sources, the missile landed outside Japan's exclusive economic zone in the Sea of Japan.

Under the office of Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, a crisis headquarters began to work to collect and analyze information related to this new missile launch by North Korea. The Ministry of Defense of Japan is also engaged in the collection and verification of relevant data.

According to the authorities, to date, there have been no reports of any damage to the Japanese side from the North Korean missile launch.

The South Korean military also reported this latest missile launch by Pyongyang, but the exact type of missile has not yet been given. This is already 35th missile launch by North Korea since the beginning of the year.