(Bloomberg) -- North Korea fired what appeared to be a ballistic missile Tuesday, Japan’s Coast Guard said, in its latest test of a weapon since ramping up provocations last month. 

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a text message that an unidentified projectile was fired toward waters between the Korean Peninsula and Japan. No other details were provided.

The launch comes after North Korea tested several new weapons systems in September designed to deliver nuclear warheads to South Korea and Japan -- two U.S. allies that host the bulk of American troops in the region.

One of the weapons was what North Korea called a “hypersonic missile,” suggesting the regime had come closer to putting nuclear warheads in high-speed gliders that can evade U.S. missile defenses. 

 

 

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