TOKYO (AP) - North Korea fired a ballistic missile Friday night which landed in the ocean off Japan, Japanese officials said.

"I have received information that North Korea once again conducted a missile firing," Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said. "We will immediately analyze information and do our utmost to protect the safety of the Japanese people."

Abe said he has called a meeting of the National Security Council.

Japanese government spokesman Yoshihide Suga said the missile flew for about 45 minutes and landed off the Japanese coast in waters between Japan and the Korean Peninsula.

Japanese public broadcaster NHK said the coast guard issued safety warnings to aircraft and ships.

In Washington, a Pentagon spokesman, Navy Capt. Jeff Davis, confirmed that a launch of a ballistic missile from North Korea had been detected.

"We are assessing and will have more information soon," he said.

(Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)