North Korean missile flies over Japan, Pentagon says

— -- North Korea has fired a missile that flew over Japan, the Pentagon confirmed.

"We assess North Korea conducted a missile launch within the last 90 minutes," Col. Rob Manning, the director of press operations at the Department of Defense, said Monday evening in a statement. "We can confirm that the missile launch by North Korea flew over Japan. We are in the process of assessing this launch.

"North American Aerospsace Defense Command, or NORAD, determined the missile launch from North Korea did not pose a threat to North America. We are working closely with Pacific Command, Strategic Command and NORAD, and we'll provide an update as soon as possible," he added.

The seesaw relationship between North Korea and the United States

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The Korean war started in 1950 and although the fighting stopped with the 1953 armistice, recent tensions on the Korean Peninsula are once again drawing attention to this part of the world. A North Korean soldier looks through the window of the building that sits on the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) in Panmunjom, South Korea, that separates the two Koreas, July 21, 2010.

Mark Wilson/Getty Images

Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe briefly addressed the launch, saying the country will be collecting more information, according to NHK, Japan's national public broadcasting organization.

The missile, which was launched early Tuesday local time, landed in the ocean, said Yoshihide Suga, Japan's chief Cabinet secretary, NHK reported.

"Nothing seemed have dropped on Japanese soil," Suga said.

"We will be working with Korea and other nations and gather information to secure the population of Japan," he added, according to NHK. It was the 13th launch by North Korea this year.

NHK reported the Japanese government issued a warning to people living in northern prefectures to take cover near strong structures after reports of the launch.

On Friday, North Korea fired three short-range ballistic missiles, one of which failed in flight.

ABC News' Elizabeth McLaughlin and Benjamin Gittleson contributed to this report.