On Friday Japan's Kyodo news agency said citing U.S. spy satellite photos obtained by sources "close to Japan-U.S. relations" that North Korea launched several short-range missiles toward the Sea of Japan.
"Yesterday, North Korea fired a missile into the East Sea," the agency said citing a source in the South Korean intelligence service. "The missile is presumed to be a short-range one, but we can't verify what sort of missile was fired."
Sources quoted by the Japanese media Friday allayed fears concerning the reported launches, saying the missile range was probably under 200 km (120 miles), too short to threaten Japan's national security.
The National Defense and Foreign Ministries of Japan declined to comment, saying the information has yet to be verified. Most sources so far have said Pyongyang had launched some modified version of the Silkworm anti-ship missile.
North Korea launched short-range missiles from its eastern coast in May 2005 and a total of seven missiles, including the Taepodong-2 (range up to 6,000 km, or 3,700 miles) in July 2006.
A new medium-range missile was demonstrated at a Pyongyang military parade last month, resembling the modernized Soviet SSN-6 Sawfly. Experts put its possible range at 4,000 km (2,500 miles), capable of reaching Japan. One North Korean missile flew over Japan into the Pacific Ocean in 1998.
