Spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea issued the following press statement on December 20.

Japan has, in reality, adopted a new security strategy formulating the possession of the capability for preemptive attack on other countries, thus bringing a serious security crisis to the Korean peninsula and East Asia.

The Kishida regime seeks to turn Japan into an offensive military power by carrying into practice the new “national security strategy”, “national defense strategy” and “defense buildup program”. This is arousing great concern of the DPRK and other neighboring Asian countries and region.

The so-called “counterattack capability” advocated by Japan has nothing to do with the possession of legitimate right to self-defense by a sovereign state, and it is the preemptive attack capability to strike the territory of other country from A to Z.

Japan is a war criminal state which inflicted untold misfortune and sufferings upon the Korean people in the past and has not yet honestly liquidated its past crimes, and it has been termed as an enemy state in the UN Charter. It will never be welcomed that such a country has openly revealed its dangerous ambition.

With Japan’s formulation of its new line of aggression, the security environment in East Asia has undergone a radical change.

Japan’s rearmament is a wanton violation of the UN Charter and a serious challenge to the international peace and security.

What should not be overlooked is the fact that only the U.S. is speaking in high terms of Japan’s greedy arms build-up, which sparks off the surging wrath and vigilance of all the most Asian countries, as a “bold and historic measure”.

The U.S. conniving and instigating Japan’s rearmament and reinvasion scheme, has neither qualification nor justification for pulling up the DPRK over its legitimate exercise of right to self-defence and strengthened defence capability.

Just as the U.S. is destroying peace and security in the region at the head of  its vassal forces such as Japan, the DPRK has striven to carry out its five priority tasks in the field of the strategic weapon at any cost, the purpose of which is to control and contain the hostile forces’ scheme for aggression with its controllable capability.

Scathingly criticizing Japan’s negative action, the DPRK makes it clear once again that it has the right to take a resolute and decisive military step to defend its national sovereignty, territorial integrity and fundamental interests in the light of the complexity of the regional security environment caused by Japan’s action.

The foolish attempt of Japan to gratify its black-hearted intention, arms buildup for reinvasion, under the pretext of the DPRK’s legitimate exercise of the right to self-defence can never be justified and tolerated.

We will continue to show in practice how much the DPRK is concerned and displeased with Japan’s unreasonable and greedy attempt to realize its wild ambition.

Japan will recognize by itself that it made a wrong and very dangerous option, with shudder to be felt soon.