Seoul: North Korea on Tuesday denounced Japan's latest defense white paper, calling it an attempt to justify the country's military buildup and describing it as a legal basis for "the operation of war machine." Kang Won-chol, an international security analyst, made the claims in an article published by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) and the Rodong Sinmun, the most widely read newspaper in the North.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Kang said the white paper came out at a time when "Japan has been rushing headlong into militarization, seized with an ambition for reinvasion." He argued Japan had "groundlessly" described North Korea as a "serious and imminent threat" in the white paper to justify its "reckless" military buildup.
Kang further expressed that Japan's actions were an act of "turning black into white," as the country stipulated threats from neighboring nations in the white paper while bolstering its alliance with the U.S. and its followers. He emphasized Japan's objective to negate past crimes and achieve its ambition to become a military power.
Kang also pointed out Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi's call to strengthen Japan's military capabilities following the release of the white paper as evidence of Tokyo's push toward militarization. He argued that this highlighted Japan's determination to follow a dangerous path towards militarization.
He concluded that Japan's portrayal of its military intentions as defensive would not conceal its true intentions, which he described as a root cause of regional tension. Kang sought to justify North Korea's military buildup, arguing it was necessary to deter the perceived hostile intentions of other countries.
Japan published its first defense white paper under the current Sanae Takaichi government last Tuesday. The paper called for military modernization, including the integration of cutting-edge technologies, such as drones and artificial intelligence, as well as closer cooperation with allies to address growing security concerns in the region.