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North Korea may be preparing to launch a Rodong ballistic missile that could reach nearly all parts of Japan, leading newspapers said Thursday.

The US military headquarters in Japan gave the information, based on analysis of data from spy satellites and other sources, to the government last Friday, the Yomiuri Shimbun and the Mainichi Shimbun said.

The Japan Defence Agency has dispatched the Myoko, an Aegis-equipped destroyer, to the Sea of Japan as part of increased efforts to monitor North Korean moves, said the newspapers.

"According to Japanese and US government sources, North Korean Army vehicles have gathered around several launch sites for Rodong missiles in northeastern and other parts of North Korea," the Yomiuri said.

The Mainichi said drums for liquid fuel, believed to be used for Rodong missiles, have been transported out from North Korea's fuel storage facility.

The Yomiuri said, however, that Japanese and US military officials had yet to confirm whether North Korea had put the liquid fuel into the Rodong missiles at launch facilities located in the northeast and other parts of the country.

The moves may be part of annual military training, the Mainichi added.

Commenting on the reports, Deputy Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe said Tokyo had not received any "detailed, conclusive information" that North Korea was preparing for an iminent missile launch.

A Defence Agency spokesman also said the agency had not received any "pressing information" on Rodong missiles.

The spokesman declined to comment on the current location of Myoko, but added the ship was not engaged in information gathering related to North Korean missiles.

Rodong missiles have a range of 1,300 kilometers (805 miles), meaning they can hit targets anywhere in Japan.

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