SEOUL/TOKYO (Kyodo) -- North Korea fired two ballistic missiles on Tuesday with no reports of casualties or damage, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said.

A Japanese government spokesman said the missiles appear to have already splashed down and ships in the area have been told to be on the alert.

South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said one of the missiles was launched from Sinpo on North Korea's eastern coast toward the Sea of Japan at around 10:17 a.m. The JoongAng Ilbo daily reported the other is believed to have been submarine-launched, citing a South Korean military source.

Kishida called the launch "extremely regrettable" and said he has instructed his government to confirm the safety of nearby ships and aircraft and prepare for contingencies.

The government spokesman strongly condemned North Korea's recent test-firing of ballistic missiles as violating U.N. Security Council resolutions.

North Korea has test-fired a series of missiles in recent weeks. On Sept. 15 it launched two short-range ballistic missiles, the first such tests in nearly six months, and on Sept. 28 it launched what state-run media said was a newly developed hypersonic missile.