North Korea fires two ballistic missiles into eastern waters

North Korea on Sunday fired two ballistic missiles into its eastern waters, prompting Japan to lodge a protest with Pyongyang, the Japanese government said.

The missiles, launched between 1:20 a.m. and 1:30 a.m. (1620 GMT and 1630 GMT on Saturday) from somewhere near Kaesong in southwestern North Korea, flew about 500 km (310 miles) before splashing into waters separating Japan and the Korean peninsula, Japan's Defence Ministry said.

"This is a clear violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions," Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told reporters. "The government made a protest through diplomatic channels in Beijing."

There were no damages or casualties from the firing, Suga said.

North Korea's missile launch comes after a similar firing of short-range missiles on Wednesday, following a pact between the two countries, in which Tokyo lifted some of its sanctions in return for Pyongyang's decision to resume a probe into the fate of Japanese citizens kidnapped by North Korean agents in the 1970s and 80s.