North Korea Warns Of More Military Steps Over Japan's Rearmament

Kim Yo Jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, said that Pyongyang would not remain a "passive onlooker" to what she described as Japan's accelerating transformation into a military power, according to a statement published on Wednesday by the official Korean Central News Agency.

"War criminal state Japan's possession of the capability for preemptive attack is a grave threat destroying global peace and security," Kim said, referring to Tokyo's efforts to acquire long-range strike capabilities.

North Korea would "make Japan feel that its security has been exposed to greater danger due to its greediness," she said. "We should make it regret."

Kim cited Japan's recent test-firing of a US-made Tomahawk long-range cruise missile and its participation in US-led military exercises in the Philippines as evidence that Tokyo is speeding up its military expansion.

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The statement marks Pyongyang's latest effort to denounce Japan's biggest military buildup since World War II, while seeking to justify its own continued development of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles. North Korea has frequently portrayed closer security cooperation among the US, Japan and South Korea as preparation for an invasion, a characterization Washington and its allies reject.

Tomahawk missiles are a centerpiece of Tokyo's new strategy of equipping itself with capabilities to deter aggression from rivals such as China and North Korea. Japan has an order with the US for about 400 missiles to be delivered by March 2028.

Kim's remarks come a day after Japan released an annual defense white paper that said growing military coordination between China, Russia and North Korea is heightening security risks for the island nation. For the first time, the white paper included a section on Japan's efforts to build up its defense industry in order to respond to rising regional threats.

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In 2022, Japan set a target to lift defense spending to 2% of GDP by the fiscal year ending in March 2028. Takaichi brought that forward by two years when she took over as premier last year. A package to bring the funding up to the required level was compiled, combining surplus revenue, reserve funds, spending reforms and tax hikes.

The latest defense budget showed spending for the fiscal year that started in April will be equivalent to 1.9% of national GDP.

Japan is set to release a new multi-year defense spending plan later this year alongside an updated National Security Strategy and National Defense Strategy.