Key facts
- North Korea condemned Japan's 2025 defense white paper, calling it a "reinvasion-minded" document.
- Pyongyang accused Tokyo of using the paper to justify its military expansion and arms buildup.
- Kim Yo Jong warned of further military action in response to Japan's military buildup.
- Japan's white paper identifies North Korea's weapons programs and ties with Russia as significant threats.
- North Korea views Japan's defense posture as a challenge to regional peace and security.
North Korea has strongly condemned Japan's latest defense white paper, labeling it a "reinvasion-minded" document intended to legitimize Tokyo's military expansion and arms buildup. A commentary carried by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) stated that Japan's 2026 White Paper "groundlessly described" North Korea as the greatest strategic challenge to justify its "reckless arms buildup."
Pyongyang has intensified its criticism of Japan's defense policies, issuing statements at least seven times since July. Kim Yo Jong, the sister of leader Kim Jong Un, warned last week that North Korea would adopt "additional military options" in response to Japan's transformation into a military power, particularly after Tokyo test-fired a U.S.-made Tomahawk cruise missile. The following day, North Korea conducted a short-range ballistic missile test.
The DPRK's foreign ministry accused Japan of being "obsessed" with retaking the Korean Peninsula and claimed the entire Japanese archipelago would become a U.S. military outpost. The white paper, according to the North Korean statement, is "shameless sophism" used to justify Japan's ongoing militarization and its pursuit of offensive capabilities, including long-range strikes.
Japan's 2025 defense white paper frames Pyongyang's advancing weapons programs and its strategic ties with Russia as central threats, reflecting rising anxieties over regional security. North Korea views Japan's defense posture and military ambitions as a direct challenge to regional peace and security, warning that Tokyo's efforts pose a threat that "can never be tolerated."