A huge fire that spread to about 140 buildings in a small city on Japan's western coast has been brought under control after authorities called in extra firefighters to tackle the blaze.

TROPICAL storm Ewiniar lashed South Korea yesterday, forcing the closure of hundreds of schools and cancellation of dozens of flights, after killing four people in South Korea and one in Japan.

North Korea may have test-fired a short-range missile off its eastern coast, the Japanese government said. It was the first suspected missile launch by Pyongyang since a test in April.