Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi holds a press conference at the prime minister's office in Tokyo on July 27. [Reuters]
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi holds a press conference at the prime minister's office in Tokyo on July 27. [Reuters]

North Korea on Tuesday condemned Japan's newly released defense white paper as a "reinvasion manual aimed at legitimizing the operation of a war machine."

KCNA and the ruling Workers' Party newspaper Rodong Sinmun carried a commentary by international security analyst Kang Won-chol, who said Japan "has been pushing ahead with military buildup for over 80 years as revenge for its defeat" and called this "the most urgent and serious threat the world faces today."

Japan's government published the defense white paper on Aug. 4 — the first since Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's cabinet took office.

The white paper expressed strong wariness toward China's expanding military influence, particularly at sea, and said Japan would work with its allies and partner nations to counter growing military cooperation among North Korea, China and Russia.

On North Korea's military activities, the paper repeated last year's assessment, describing Pyongyang as "a more serious and imminent threat than ever to our country's security" and saying it "continues to advance missile development at an extremely rapid pace."

Kang argued that by labeling neighboring countries including North Korea, China and Russia as "serious and imminent threats" and "the greatest strategic challenge," the white paper sought to "rationalize their reckless military buildup" — calling it "nothing short of turning reality on its head."

He also cited remarks by Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi, who mentioned further military expansion after the white paper's release, saying this "clearly proves how dangerously he is driving Japan down the path of militarism as its vanguard."

Kang said "the political climate and ingrained nature of Japan, where the genes of aggression roam, have not changed one bit from yesterday to today and are mutating in an increasingly dangerous direction."

He further argued that "no matter how Japan tries to wrap its aggressive true intentions in the silk cloth of 'defense,' it can never conceal its identity as a source of trouble that tramples regional peace and intensifies tensions."

Kang justified North Korea's own arms buildup, saying that "strengthening self-defensive war deterrence by every means is an indispensable contribution to thoroughly defending national sovereignty and maintaining regional peace and stability."

He added that "the international community must heighten its vigilance against Japan's neo-militarist moves, which are increasingly and dangerously threatening regional peace and security, and strongly oppose and reject them."


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