N. Korea slams Japan's defense paper as justification for military buildup

North Korea harshly criticized Japan's latest defense white paper on Tuesday, accusing the country of using it as justification for a military buildup. The article, published by the Korean Central News Agency and the Rodong Sinmun, stated that the Japanese document was a legal basis for the country's aggressive military operations.

International security analyst Kang Won-chol made these claims in the KCNA and Rodong Sinmun publications. He argued that Japan was rushing into militarization, driven by an ambition for reinvasion, and had falsely labeled North Korea as a serious and imminent threat to justify its reckless military expansion. Kang concluded that Japan's white paper was an attempt to turn black into white regarding the security threats posed by neighboring countries, while Japan had been intensifying its alliance with the U.S. and other followers to negate its past crimes and pursue its goal of becoming a military power.

Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi's call to boost the country's military capabilities, following the release of the white paper, was cited as evidence of Tokyo's push toward militarization. North Korea emphasized that Japan's efforts to describe its real intention for aggression as defense would never conceal its true colors as the root cause of regional tensions.

Kang also defended North Korea's own military buildup, arguing that strengthening its military capabilities was necessary to deter what North Korea described as hostile intentions from other countries. Japan's first defense white paper under the current Sanae Takaichi government was released last Tuesday, calling for military modernization, including integration of cutting-edge technologies like drones and artificial intelligence, as well as closer cooperation with allies to address growing security concerns in the region.