North Korea launches a ballistic missile over Japan.

North Korea has launched a ballistic missile over Japan, according to its neighbors, accelerating testing of missiles aimed to hit major targets in regional US allies amid stalled nuclear negotiations.

Hirokazu Matsuno, Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary, arrives at the Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo on Tuesday, Oct. 4, 2022. South Korea claims North Korea launched a ballistic missile into its territorial seas. (Kyodo News via AP)

South Korea's SEOUL - North Korea launched a ballistic missile over Japan on Tuesday, according to its neighbors, intensifying testing of weaponry aimed to attack major sites in neighboring US allies amid stalled nuclear negotiations.

According to the Japanese prime minister's office, at least one North Korean missile passed over Japan and is thought to have landed in the Pacific Ocean.

It was stated that officials issued an advisory to inhabitants in northeastern regions to evacuate buildings nearby, the first such alarm in five years.

Trains were momentarily halted in Japan's Hokkaido and Aomori areas before being restarted later, following a government announcement that the North Korean missile looked to have landed in the Pacific.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff of South Korea claimed it also detected the launch of a ballistic missile aimed for the North's eastern seas. It provided no other information, such as how far the weapon flew.

The launch represents North Korea's sixth round of weapons testing in the last ten days, in apparent reaction to military maneuvers between South Korea and the United States. North Korea sees such drills as a dress rehearsal for an invasion.

The missiles launched in the previous four rounds were short-range and landed in the seas between the Korean Peninsula and Japan. These missiles have the capability of striking targets in South Korea.