N.Korea fires missile towards the east -S.Korea, Japan militaries

FILE PHOTO: A North Korea flag flutters next to concertina wire at the North Korean embassy in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia March 9, 2017. REUTERS/Edgar Su/File Photo

SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea fired a ballistic missile off its east coast on Tuesday, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said.

The Japanese government warned citizens to take cover after its coast guard reported on a suspected missile launch by North Korea.

The latest launch was Pyongyang's fifth launch in a week, amid military muscle-flexing by the United States and South Korea, which staged trilateral anti-submarine exercises last week with Japanese naval forces.

(Reporting by Hyonhee Shin; Editing by Leslie Adler and Chris Reese)