North Korea fired a suspected ballistic missile towards Japan on Monday, South Korea's military said, amid mounting tensions in the region following a series of missile tests by Pyongyang.

The projectile appeared to have landed in Japanese waters, Yoshihide Suga, spokesman for the Japanese government, said, adding that the launch was a clear violation of UN resolutions.

"This ballistic missile launch by North Korea is highly problematic from the perspective of the safety of shipping and air traffic and is a clear violation of United Nations Security Council resolutions," Mr Suga told reporters in televised remarks.

"Japan absolutely cannot tolerate North Korea's repeated provocative actions. We have strongly protested to North Korea and condemn its actions in the strongest terms."

South Korea's military said the projectile appeared to be a short-range Scud missile that flew about 450 km (280 miles) and landed in the sea off its east coast.