Japan is bent on increasing its military expenditure.

It is planning to import over 20 US-made reconnaissance drones for its maritime "Self-Defence Force" and Japan Coast Guard, while persistently pushing forward with the possession of aircraft carriers and the introduction of the latest stealth fighters.

On October 3, a taking-off and landing test of F-35Bs was conducted on the escort warship Izumo of the maritime SDF which is being remodelled into an aircraft carrier.

This shows that Japan is stepping up the preparations for a war of aggression in a bid to realize its ambition for overseas expansion at any cost.

The reconnaissance drones to be newly introduced are capable of conducting an aerial surveillance and espionage operation for 40 hours to the maximum and, if necessary, carrying missiles and bombs to turn into attack drones. They can also carry out an anti-submarine mission.

Its purpose of equipping not only the SDF but also the maritime police with such military hardware is as clear as noonday.

The gravity of the issue lies in the fact that Japan pushes ahead with such arms buildup on the pretext of coping with "threats from neighbouring countries".

Japanese reactionaries openly say that the introduction of reconnaissance drones is aimed at containing "threats" from the DPRK and China.

To distract public opinion at home and abroad that the operation of aircraft carriers and the introduction of stealth fighters run counter to Article 9 of the Constitution and the principle of exclusive defence, they insist that such steps belong to minimum actions indispensable to containing China’s advance into the sea.

However, this is nothing but a cunning trick to justify their increase of military expenditure and cover up their ambition for reinvasion.

As has been acknowledged, Japan has pursued the policy of increasing its military expenditure on the pretext of coping with "threats from neighbouring countries".

When renewing its "defence budget" for 2022 at an all-time high, it insisted on the necessity of increasing the military expenditure while clamouring about the "severity of surrounding security environment".

Recently, Japan is so busy importing a huge amount of cutting-edge weapons from abroad and developing and introducing new attack military hardware.

It is going to organize missile and space operation units in the SDF and equip them with cutting-edge weaponry, while focusing on building various warships and remodelling fighters to bolster up its naval and air forces.

Such situation goes to prove that Japan's arms buildup is geared to equipping itself with war hardware for preemptive attack and invasion, not with defensive means for coping with someone's "threat".

Japan, a war criminal state which is banned from having access to the fighting capability, is bringing military instability and the danger of war to the Korean peninsula and the region by possessing the troops and the latest war hardware strong enough for fighting a big war.

Japan is, indeed, the very criminal harassing regional peace and stability.

Japan's dead-end attempt to realize its ambition for aggression and accuse others will get to a miserable end.

KCNA