In a commentary carried by KCNA titled “Japan’s defense white paper is a reinvasion-minded one for the legalization of the operation of war machine,” a North Korean analyst said Japan’s 2026 White Paper “groundlessly described” North Korea as the greatest strategic challenge in order to “justify its reckless arms buildup.”
– Pyongyang has ratcheted up its criticism of Tokyo’s defence policy, issuing statements at least seven times since July.
– North Korea’s Kim Yo Jong, the powerful sister of leader Kim Jong Un, warned last week that Pyongyang would adopt “additional military options” in response to what she called Japan’s transformation into a military power, after Tokyo test-fired a U.S.-made Tomahawk cruise missile.
– On the following day, North Korea test-fired a short-range ballistic missile towards the sea between the two countries, which some analysts say may have been a warning to Japan.