North Korea Vows ‘Decisive Military Step’ Against Japan

North Korea's foreign ministry called Japan's new security strategy 'dangerous'

What the North Korean government says is its newly built intercontinental ballistic missile, the Hwasong-17, is seen during a military parade to mark the 90th anniversary of North Korea's army at the Kim Il Sung Square in Pyongyang, North Korea, on April 25, 2022. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP)

North Korea vowed on Dec. 20 to take a “resolute and decisive military step” against what it calls Japan’s “dangerous choice” to adopt a new national security and defense strategy that includes plans for a military buildup.

North Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that Japan’s national security strategy formalized a “new line of aggression” that will change the security environment in East Asia, the state-run Korean Central News Agency reported.

It claims that Japan’s push to acquire a counterstrike capability has nothing to do with self-defense but is an attempt to possess “preemptive attack capability” to launch strikes on the territory of other nations.

North Korea also accused the United States of “instigating” Japan’s rearmament, saying that the United States has no right to stop North Korea from bolstering its self-defense capability.

The North Korean military has fired more than 60 missiles this year, including ballistic missiles that flew over Japan in October. South Korea and Japan said on Dec. 18 that North Korea fired two ballistic missiles into the sea, which flew about 500 kilometers (311 miles).

North Korea’s National Aerospace Development Administration said on Dec. 19 that it conducted an “important final-stage test” for the development of its spy satellite but didn’t specify if it was the same test that Japan and South Korea had detected.

Japan’s Military Buildup

Japan’s sweeping five-year plan will make the country the world’s third-biggest military spender after the United States and China. The move is widely seen as a departure from Japan’s post-war constitution, which renounces war or the use of force in settling international disputes.

The government also aims to stockpile spare parts and other munitions, expand transport capacity, and develop cyber warfare capabilities.

A separate national security strategy document that pointed to China, Russia, and North Korea promised close cooperation with the United States and other like-minded nations to deter threats to the established international order.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida speaks during a press conference at the prime minister's official residence in Tokyo on Aug. 10, 2022. (Rodrigo Reyes Marin/Reuters)

Speaking to reporters on Dec. 16, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Japan would uphold its post-war peace-loving stance and exclusively defense-oriented policy, which states that defensive force can only be used in the event of an attack.

“We have written in detail the counterattack capabilities that we have decided to possess, including their definition and the circumstances under which they can be used, in the National Security Strategy,” he said.

Kishida’s plan will double defense outlays to about 2 percent of gross domestic product over five years, blowing past a self-imposed 1 percent spending limit that has been in place since 1976.

That increase will provide work to Japanese military equipment makers such as Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, which is expected to lead the development of three of the longer-range missiles that will be part of Japan’s new missile force.

Other items on Japan’s military spending list over the next five years include interceptor missiles for ballistic missile defense, attack and reconnaissance drones, satellite communications equipment, Lockheed Martin F-35 stealth fighters, helicopters, submarines, warships, and heavy-lift transport jets.

To pay for that equipment, Kishida’s ruling bloc said it would raise tobacco, corporate, and disaster-reconstruction income taxes. But, with opposition to tax increases within his ruling Liberal Democratic party still strong, the Japanese leader has yet to say when he'll implement those higher rates.

Reuters contributed to this report.