Japanese foreign minister Yoshimasa Hayashi has expressed deep regret over failure by the UN Security Council(UNSC) to agree on a concrete response to North Korea's attempted launch of a military spy satellite last week.

Asked about the matter in a press conference on Tuesday, Tokyo's top diplomat said that North Korea's series of actions pose a threat to global peace and cannot be tolerated.

Despite the fact that the launch was purportedly conducted for the purpose of putting a satellite into space, Hayashi noted that it still utilized ballistic missile technology and thereby violated UNSC resolutions.

He lamented the council's inaction in response to Pyongyang's grave provocations due to the passive attitude of some member nations, referring to the inability to produce an outcome in an open meeting on the issue last Friday amid opposition by China and Russia.

On whether Japan intends to strengthen its independent sanctions on Pyongyang, Hayashi said it hopes to review such measures in cooperation with South Korea and the U.S.

Noting that the regime may reattempt a launch, the minister said Tokyo seeks to continue coordination with Seoul and Washington to compel Pyongyang to abide by UNSC resolutions and refrain from carrying out such launches.​