A Japanese daily says North Korea is preparing to launch its long-range ballistic Daepodong-Two missile, which can be armed with a nuclear warhead.

Citing multiple Japanese government officials, the Sankei Shimbun said a U.S. reconnaissance satellite has detected movements in the North which normally occur prior to a missile launch.

The report confirmed frequent sightings of increased activity at a missile launch facility construction site in Dongchang-ri, North Pyeongan Province.

The paper also said that given the size of large containers --- presumably parts of a missile hangar --- spotted at the locale, the missile would be at least as large as the North’s Daepodong Two missile.

Sankei said North Korean missiles require at least one to two months for all the necessary preparations to be made before a launch can take place.

South Korean intelligence officials believe that the Daepodong-Two missile has a range of up to six-thousand kilometers.