North Korea warns of new military measures over Japan's strike capabilities

North Korea has warned it could adopt additional military measures in response to what it described as Japan's expanding preemptive strike capabilities, accusing Tokyo of accelerating its military buildup with U.S. support.

In a statement issued on August 5, Kim Yo Jong, a senior official of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea, criticised Japan's recent military activities, including the test-firing of Tomahawk long-range cruise missiles from the Aegis destroyer Chokai and the deployment of longer-range missile systems, the state-controlled North Korean media reports.

Kim claimed Japan's military modernisation, including the acquisition and deployment of long-range strike weapons, marked a shift toward offensive capabilities and posed a threat to regional security.

The statement also accused the United States of supporting Japan's military expansion by supplying Tomahawk missiles and assisting in their testing, and argued that Washington was encouraging a stronger Japanese military role in the Asia-Pacific region.

North Korea alleged that Japan's actions could threaten neighbouring countries and urged the international community to remain vigilant over Tokyo's military ambitions.

Concluding the statement, Kim said North Korea would not remain "a passive onlooker" to Japan's military developments and declared that, with authorisation, the country's armed forces and military leadership would prepare "additional military options" in response.

By Sabina Mammadli