Pyongyang criticises Japan-US military drills and growing offensive capabilities, warning of rising tensions across the Indo-Pacific region…reports Asian Lite News Desk
North Korea on Tuesday criticised Japan’s efforts to acquire what it described as pre-emptive attack capabilities and last month’s joint military exercises between Tokyo and Washington, warning that the moves could trigger a cycle of escalating regional tensions.
In an article published by the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), a military commentator criticised Japan’s deployment of a Type 25 longer-range anti-ship missile launcher during the bilateral Keen Sword military exercise, held across Japan from October 19 to 29.
The Type 25 missile system, which has a range of more than 1,000 kilometres, forms part of Japan’s efforts to strengthen its counterstrike capabilities against potential enemy attacks.
“Japan, a defeated nation accelerating its transformation into a warfighting state after throwing off the veil of a ‘pacifist state,’ persists in its moves to acquire the capability for making a preemptive attack,” the commentator said.
The article described the participation of the Ground Self-Defence Forces’ Type 25 surface-to-ship guided missile launcher in the Keen Sword exercise as the latest example of Japan’s military expansion.
North Korea claimed that Japan had openly acknowledged that a missile launch simulation during the exercise was intended to test the rapid deployment of offensive weapons systems. It said coastal areas of North Korea and China were within the potential striking range, Yonhap News Agency reported.
The commentator also referred to Japan’s launch of a Type 88 anti-ship missile and the test-firing of a Tomahawk cruise missile earlier this year.
Pyongyang alleged that Tokyo’s efforts to develop pre-emptive strike capabilities against neighbouring countries had become more aggressive, open and regular.
North Korea further claimed that Japan’s military had completed its transition from a defensive to an offensive posture.
“The moves of the neo-militarist forces of Japan to possess the capability for making a preemptive attack … are a cancer-like factor that brings about a vicious cycle of escalating tension in the region,” the commentator said.
The criticism comes amid growing military cooperation between Japan and the United States, as both countries strengthen their defence capabilities in the Indo-Pacific region.
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