North Korea has warned that it will look into “additional military options” after accusing Japan of transforming itself into a formidable military power capable of carrying out pre-emptive military strikes and overseas military operations.
This comes after Japan participated in the U.S.-led military exercises in the Philippines in May and test-fired a Tomahawk cruise missile from the Aegis destroyer JS Chokai in the Pacific Ocean.
Responding to the developments, Kim Yo Jong, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, threatened to respond in such a manner that would make Tokyo feel threatened. She said, “We should make it regret,” and accused the U.S. of enabling Japan’s military buildup.
According to state-owned Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), Yo Jong added, “The U.S. is behind such dangerous military moves of Japan as Washington is supplying Tomahawk missiles, modifying Japan’s vessels to test and support missile systems.”
The head of the North Korean ruling party’s record-keeping department did not provide details about the additional military measures Pyongyang is planning to counter Japanese military.
NBC Newsquoted analysts as saying that the aggressive statements are an attempt by North Korea to portray Japan’s military modernization as a direct security threat and justify its own weapon development.
North Korea is already a self-declared nuclear weapons state, though it is not recognized as an official nuclear-weapon state under the international Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
2026-08-05 23:09:00
