TOKYO, Aug 3 (Reuters) - Japanese Defence Minister Gen Nakatani said on Wednesday that North Korea's missile launch was a "serious threat" to Japan's security.

The nation's self defence force remains on alert in case of further North Korean missile launches, he told reporters.

North Korea fired a ballistic missile on Wednesday from its western region into the sea off its east coast, South Korea's military said, the latest in a series of launches in defiance of U.N. Security Council resolutions. (Reporting by Nobuhiko Kubo; Writing by Kaori Kaneko; Editing by Chang-Ran Kim)

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