Pyongyang: North Korea has voiced strong disapproval of the United States Forces Japan's (USFJ) decision to ramp up its troop presence as a strategy to enhance coordination with Japan's Self-Defense Forces.

According to Yonhap News Agency, Lt. Gen. Stephen F. Jost, the commander of USFJ, revealed in an interview with Asahi Shimbun that since last year, 215 additional personnel have been integrated into the USFJ. The objective is to fortify its command structure and improve collaboration with Japanese forces in anticipation of potential regional crises.

The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) responded with an editorial condemning the troop increase, accusing the USFJ of evolving into "a war command center" with intentions of initiating "an all-out war in the Asia Pacific region." The editorial suggested that the USFJ commander views armed conflict as inevitable, with North Korea labeled as the "first target."

Lt. Gen. Jost emphasized the importance of maintaining "a constant state of preparedness," asserting that the emergence of a crisis in "a very dynamic" region is a matter of "when" rather than "if."

In its denunciation, the KCNA also criticized recent joint military training exercises conducted by South Korea and the United States, while highlighting trilateral security cooperation, such as the annual Freedom Edge exercise, as a rationale for North Korea's ongoing nuclear weapons development.