North Korea’s Rodong Sinmun newspaper on Wednesday condemned Japan’s recent defense equipment agreement with Canada, accusing Tokyo of accelerating a drive toward militarization. Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, seen here Monday after her Liberal Democratic Party’s landslide election victory, has pledged to bolster the country’s military capabilities. Pool Photo by Franck Robichon/EPA
North Korea on Wednesday denounced Japan’s new defense equipment agreement with Canada, accusing Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s government of accelerating what it called a drive toward militarization and overseas aggression.
An article in Rodong Sinmun, the ruling Workers’ Party newspaper, described Japan as a “war criminal nation” and warned that Tokyo’s expanding military partnerships amount to the formation of a “de facto military alliance” with NATO members and regional countries.
The criticism comes days after Takaichi’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party secured a landslide election victory, strengthening her hand as she pushes to revise Japan’s pacifist constitution and formally recognize the Self-Defense Forces as a military.
Signed in late January, the agreement allows Japan and Canada to jointly develop military systems and share technology, and permits Tokyo to export defense hardware to Ottawa.
Rodong Sinmun argued that such arrangements violate the spirit of Japan’s post-World War II constitution, which renounces war and states that “land, sea, and air forces, as well as other war potential, will never be maintained.”
“As a war criminal nation, Japan is prohibited from possessing a military,” the newspaper wrote. “Therefore, even the very formation of a military alliance is a red line that must not be crossed.”
By strengthening its military agreements with other countries, Japan “aims to create an environment favorable to the realization of its ambitions for overseas aggression,” the paper added.
Japan maintains well-equipped Self-Defense Forces despite Article 9 of its constitution, drafted under U.S. supervision after World War II. In recent years, Tokyo has gradually expanded its security role and eased restrictions on defense exports.
Takaichi, a conservative defense hawk, has pledged to further bolster Japan’s military capabilities. During a Feb. 2 stump speech, she called for amending the constitution to formally recognize the Self-Defense Forces and “position them as a combat-capable organization.”
Her agenda unfolds against a backdrop of heightened tensions with China, including concerns over Taiwan, and pressure from Washington for allies to shoulder a greater share of defense burdens.
North Korea has routinely portrayed Japan’s security initiatives and its trilateral defense cooperation with the United States and South Korea as steps toward remilitarization and a threat to regional stability.
