The Japanese Defense Ministry says North Korea launched multiple ballistic missiles on Thursday morning. All are believed to have fallen outside Japan's Exclusive Economic Zone, with no reports of damage to ships or aircraft.

The ministry says the launch happened around 6:13 a.m. At least one of the ballistic missiles reached a maximum altitude of around 100 kilometers and flew a distance of more than 350 kilometers.

All of them appeared to splash down off the Korean Peninsula's eastern coast.

Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio says his government is gathering information and monitoring the situation.

Kishida said: "North Korea's launching of ballistic missiles violates UN Security Council resolutions. Japan strongly condemns its actions. We have already lodged a protest."

South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff says it believes the North fired more than 10 short-range ballistic missiles toward the Sea of Japan.

It says they were launched from Sunan, home to an international airport that serves the capital, Pyongyang.

Seoul says it is closely sharing information with the US and Japan and conducting a detailed analysis.

South Korea's Yonhap news agency reports the launch may have involved North Korea's so-called "super-large rocket launcher," based on flight distance.

It is North Korea's seventh ballistic missile launch so far this year. It also comes after Pyongyang's failed attempt at putting a satellite into orbit on Monday using ballistic missile technology.

The United Nations Security Council is set to hold an emergency meeting Friday to discuss a response to the satellite launch, at the request of Japan, the US and South Korea.

North Korea says it opposes the meeting, claiming the launch is justified under its right for self-defense.

In a statement issued through its state-run news agency, Pyongyang says preserving "the spirit of sovereign equality" is a fundamental issue for the global community.