TOKYO - North Korea fired two missiles early Wednesday, Kyodo news agency reported, quoting a Japanese government source.
One was fired at around 3:30 am (1830 GMT) and the other just after 4:00 am, Kyodo said quoting the unnamed source.
Both missiles landed in the Sea of Japan about 500 to 600 kilometres (312 to 375 miles) off the western coast of Japan`s main northern island of Hokkaido, the government source said.
US television network CNN, citing two sources, said the missiles were not the long-range Taepodong 2 missile which the United States and Japan feared North Korea were on the verge of launching.
Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi said last Thursday that he and US President George W. Bush had agreed to impose unspecified "pressures" on North Korea if it launched a long-range missile.
The United States had been monitoring a potential launch of a Taepodong 2 missile and Bush criticized North Korea last Thursday -- during a meeting with Koizumi -- saying that Pyongyang had failed to inform the world of its missile intentions.
Japan is particularly sensitive to such moves by North Korea, which in 1998 fired a Taepodong-1 missile over Japan into the Pacific, prompting Tokyo and Washington to step up cooperation to build missile defenses.
This time, Pyongyang had been believed to be preparing to launch a long-range Taepodong-2 missile, capable of reaching Japan, Alaska or possibly Hawaii.
07/04/2006 20:46 GMT