North Korea has fired another ballistic missile, South Korea and Japan say, prompting a warning for some Japanese residents to take cover.

The Japanese government warned residents of the northernmost main island of Hokkaido to take immediate cover on Thursday, saying a missile was likely to fall near the island at 8am (local time).

The missile was launched off the east coast of the Korean Peninsula, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said.

The launch came two days after North Korean state media KCNA reported that leader Kim Jong-un called for strengthening the country’s war deterrence in a “more practical and offensive” manner to counter what it called moves of aggression by the United States.

North Korea has criticised the recent series of joint military exercises between the US and South Korea as escalating tensions, stepping up its weapons tests in recent months.

– AAP