The Japanese government was reportedly unable to determine whether a military spy satellite launched by North Korea on Tuesday night entered into orbit as claimed.

Japan’s public broadcaster NHK issued the report, saying that Tokyo is continuing to collect information and analyze the launch.

Japan’s defense ministry said that North Korea launched a projectile using ballistic missile technology from the Tongchang-ri area at 10:43 p.m. Tuesday.

The ministry said that the projectile split into two parts, with one segment falling into the East China Sea outside the maritime danger zone designated by the North in advance, while the other reportedly flew over Japan's southern province of Okinawa and dropped into the Pacific Ocean inside the danger zone.

While North Korea's state news agency said the North successfully sent a spy satellite into orbit, NHK said that Japanese officials presume that the projectile failed to reach the speed necessary to enter orbit, adding that they will continue to collect information and analyze the launch in close contact with the United States.