North Korea says Japan turning into 'war nation', slams joint war game with US
North Korea denounces an ongoing US-Japan joint war game, slamming Tokyo for using the "confusing" global situation to "justify its transformation into a war nation."
In an editorial published on Monday in the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), Pyongyang strongly criticized Japan's Self-Defense Force for participating in the Resolute Dragon drill alongside US Marines.
The ongoing joint military drill between Japan's Ground Self-Defense Forces and the United States Marine Corps on June 20 in Okinawa and Kyushu, major islands in southwestern Japan, is scheduled to end Tuesday.
The KCNA editorial said, with help from the American troops, the Japanese Self-Defense Force was sharpening its "invasion capability."
It warned such moves lead to insecurity and instability in the region.
"Japan has aggravated the (security) situation in the region by deepening its military ties with the US."
The editorial cited another joint US-Japan military war game codenamed Iron Fist, which had been held in February, as a similar move aimed to militarize the region.
It said that the long-range missiles test-fired in the "preemptive" capacity for staging strikes on neighboring countries during Japan's first participation in a US-led multinational military drill in the Asia-Pacific region in April and May was evidence of a plot to militarize the region.
The KCNA editorial raised concern about Tokyo’s hawks taking advantage of the "confusing" global situation today in order to "justify its transformation into a war nation".
It warned Japan against such a move, reminding it of the "tragic end" for countries which are in "reckless" pursuit of militarization.
During the 10-day joint Japan-US Resolute Dragon exercise, Japanese soldiers and US Marines employed live-fire drills during the island warfare exercises.
By integrating their fires, the Japanese and Americans rehearsed expeditionary advanced base operations.
Expeditionary advanced base operations train soldiers for seizing and holding islands and sinking the enemy’s vessels.
A separate multinational joint military exercise with Japanese forces participating, codenamed Valiant Shield, led by the US Indo-Pacific Command, began on June 22 and will end on July 1, 2026.
China also sees the joint US military drills with regional allies as an abortive attempt to maintain dwindling American hegemony.
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