Post by Salem6 on Jul 5, 2006 9:18:03 GMT
North Korea has test-fired a seventh missile, Japanese news agency Kyodo has quoted Japanese government sources as saying.
The launch took place at 1722 Japan time (0822 GMT), local media said.
The report comes hours after North Korea test-fired at least six missiles, including a long-range Taepodong-2, sparking global condemnation.
The UN Security Council is due to hold an emergency meeting later on Wednesday to discuss the developments.
The closed UN session was requested by Japan, which said it was co-ordinating its response to the missile tests with the US and other countries.
Japanese and South Korean military are on high alert in the wake of the tests, and share prices have fallen in both countries.
Pyongyang remained defiant. A foreign ministry official said such launches were a matter of national sovereignty, Japanese media reported.
Correspondents say Pyongyang may see this action as a way to get attention and break the diplomatic log jam over stalled talks on its nuclear capabilities.
The earlier missile launches came as the US celebrated its Independence Day holiday and launched the space shuttle from Florida.
Heightened alert
According to US officials, the North fired at least six missiles over a four-hour period, beginning at 0332 Japan time (1832 GMT).
US officials said the Taepodong missile - thought capable of reaching Alaska - failed shortly after take-off, while the others fell into the Sea of Japan.
The US and North Korea's neighbours have been on heightened alert in recent weeks amid suspicions that Pyongyang was preparing to launch the Taepodong-2, which has a range of up to 6,000 km (3,730 miles), putting parts of the US within striking distance.
The BBC's Charles Scanlon in Seoul says the North has been feeling under pressure and ignored in recent months, with the US refusing to negotiate on its demands over its nuclear plans.
Long-running talks over North Korea's nuclear capabilities have stalled, with six-party negotiations on the issue being repeatedly postponed as neither Washington nor Pyongyang are prepared to give ground.
The last time North Korea tested a long-range missile was in 1998, when it launched a Taepodong-1 over northern Japan.
news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/5149512.stm