North Korea fired what could be a ballistic missile: Japan

North Korea Missile: North Korea fired what could be a ballistic missile on Wednesday, Japan's defence ministry said.

North Korea fired a suspected ballistic missile on Wednesday, Japan's defence ministry and South Korea's military said, hours after the United States separately deployed B-1B bombers for allied air drills.

People watch a television screen showing a news broadcast with file footage of a North Korean missile test, at a railway station in Seoul. (AFP)

No further information was immediately available.

The launch comes as South Korea and the United States prepare to wrap up 11 days of combined military drills, which Pyongyang has denounced.

The B-1B bombers conducted separate air drills with warplanes from South Korea and Japan earlier on Wednesday.

North Korea's ballistic missiles are banned by United Nations Security Council resolutions that have imposed strict sanctions on the nuclear-armed country.