North Korea Condemns Japan's White Paper as Pretext for Military Expansion
North Korea's leadership denounced Japan's latest defense white paper on Tuesday, calling it a cover for expanding military capabilities under the pretext of regional threats.
North Korean security analysis
International security analyst Kang Won-Chul wrote in the Korean Central News Agency and Rodong Sinmun that Japan is rushing to arm itself driven by ambitions to revive past invasion goals, labeling Kim Jong Un's description of the document as a "serious and imminent threat" as a justification for this expansion.
Kang cited Defense Minister Shinjiro Koga's call to develop military capabilities as clear evidence of Tokyo's determination to militarize, warning that the defense pretext cannot hide its "aggressive nature" and threat to regional stability.
Regional backdrop
The criticism aligns with broader objections from China and North Korea to Japan's white paper, released under Prime Minister Fumio Sakae's administration, which seeks to modernize forces with drones and AI while China labels it a "strategic challenge" and warns of rising North Korean missile capabilities and Pyongyang's cooperation with Moscow.
North Korea reiterated that strengthening its own military remains essential to deter what it calls "hostile intentions" from other states.
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