Japan has reportedly expressed regret after South Korea resumed dispute settlement proceedings at the World Trade Organization(WTO) over Tokyo’s trade restriction measures.

The South Korean Permanent Mission in Geneva said on Thursday it delivered a letter both to its Japanese counterpart and the WTO Secretariat regarding its request that the global trade watchdog establish a panel to review the matter.

According to Japan's public broadcaster NHK, a senior official at the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry expressed great regret over Seoul's move on Thursday, calling it a "unilateral" act that could render all the previous responses useless. 

The official reportedly said that pending issues regarding trade management should be resolved through dialogue between the two nations, and that Tokyo has pursued that. 

NHK said Tokyo takes the position that Japan's export controls are necessary for security reasons and not in violation of WHO regulations.