North Korea has reportedly denounced Japan’s moves to collect parts of a rocket launched by the North that fell into the Pacific Ocean.

Japanese broadcaster NHK said the General Staff of the North's Korean People's Army warned on Wednesday that Japan would be interfering in the North’s internal affairs if it conducts the search, adding that the move would be a vicious act of espionage and a military provocation.

The North’s warnings came after Japan’s Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada announced that Tokyo is considering searching for remnants of the North’s three-stage rocket launched on Sunday.