North Korea slams Japan's military buildup, accusing Tokyo of pursuing rearmament

A Tomahawk cruise missile is being fired from the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force guided-missile destroyer JS Chokai in the Pacific Ocean on July 29, 2026, in this grab from Japan's Ministry of Defense.

SEOUL, August 5 (AJP) - North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's powerful sister Yo-jong, who often speaks for the regime on foreign policy, has issued another blunt warning, this time aimed at Japan.

In a statement carried on Wednesday by the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), Kim said Tokyo's recent military moves were pushing the country back toward its wartime past, describing Japan as a "war criminal state" that is accelerating its shift into what she called a "war state."

Kim argued that Japan's push to acquire preemptive strike capabilities, rather than limiting itself to self-defense, has moved from planning into action.

She pointed to Japan's participation in U.S.-led military exercises in the Philippines in May and a revision of its national security strategy that formally endorsed the development of preemptive strike capabilities, a significant shift for a country whose postwar constitution has long limited its military role to self-defense.

Kim also placed particular blame on Washington, accusing it of paving the way for Japan's rearmament and using Japan and South Korea as a "shock brigade" to advance U.S. strategic interests in the Asia-Pacific region.

She said North Korea would not stand idly by over Japan's military buildup, vowing that the country's armed forces and military leadership would take additional measures in response.

The remarks followed the Japanese navy's test launch of a U.S.-made Tomahawk cruise missile late last month, which was carried out in support of the U.S. military in the Pacific.

It was the first time Japan had actually fired a Tomahawk missile, which is capable of precision strikes and has a range of roughly 1,600 to 2,500 kilometers, putting North Korea, China and Russia within its range.

The historic test launch on July 29 came after Japan agreed in 2024 to purchase 400 Tomahawk missiles from the U.S., with deliveries scheduled between 2025 and 2027, and began preparing the crews and vessels needed to operate them.

Japan, for its part, has been gradually expanding its military capabilities in recent years, citing threats from North Korea's nuclear and missile programs as well as broader regional tensions, particularly with China.