The nuclear-armed North says it has completed its first military spy satellite and leader Kim Jong Un has approved final preparations for the launch.

The US imposed the restrictions last year aiming to slow China's work on supercomputers that can be used to develop nuclear weapons systems and artificial intelligence systems.

Analysts say the military satellite is part of nuclear-armed North Korea's efforts to advance surveillance technology, including drones, to improve its ability to strike targets in the event of a conflict.

Shootings are extremely rare in Japan, where gun ownership is tightly regulated and anyone seeking to own a gun must go through a rigorous vetting process.

Leaders of the G7, which includes the US, European Union and Japan, agreed to create an intergovernmental forum called the 'Hiroshima AI process' to debate issues around fast-growing AI tools.

Japan will also ban providing construction and engineering services to Russia, although the details of the measure will be announced at a later date, reports say.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida says the country has no plans to become a Nato member, even though the US-led military pact was planning a Tokyo office, its first in Asia, to facilitate consultations in the region.

The trip will also give Zelensky an opportunity to win over powerful unaligned nations joining the summit, including Brazil and India.

China last month eased outbound travel restrictions that had cut off a lucrative flow of visitors during the pandemic.

With North Korea launching ballistic missiles at an unprecedented pace in the past year, Japan, South Korea and the US in November agreed to speed up information-sharing.

The pledge by the leaders to boost cooperation has been welcomed by the US as a way to better confront threats from North Korea and competition from China.

Weather officials warn residents of possible aftershocks and landslides in the days ahead but say there is no risk of a tsunami.