Japan's Defense Minister Takeshi Iwaya speaks at the IISS Shangri-la Dialogue in Singapore, June 1, 2019. REUTERS/Feline Lim

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese Defence Minister Takeshi Iwaya said North Korea’s launch of a pair of projectiles on Thursday was “very regrettable”, Jiji news agency reported.

A Japanese government source told Kyodo news the projectiles were ballistic missiles which did not reach Japan’s exclusive economic zone and had no impact on Japan’s national security.