North Korea Claims Japan's Push for Record Defense Budget Is Preparation for 'Invasion War'

Regarding the Japanese Ministry of Defense drafting a record-high defense budget of up to 10 trillion yen (approximately 88 trillion won), North Korea threatened that "the international community will never condone the military evolution of the descendants of war criminals, and will thoroughly counter it with a united force."

The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) made the remarks in a commentary published on page 6 of today's Rodong Sinmun, stating that "breaking records for the war budget will only increase Japan's 'security deficit.'"

The Japanese Ministry of Defense previously earmarked 8.9 trillion yen (approximately 79 trillion won) in defense spending for next year as part of its ministry-level budget request on the 19th.

With approximately 150 "item requests" whose amounts have not yet been finalized, the final budget plan to be confirmed at the end of the year is expected to increase to around 10 trillion yen in total.

Pointing out that Japan's defense spending is breaking historical highs, the KCNA claimed, "This is the expansion of a dangerous war budget that brings new turmoil to the region and the world," adding, "There is no doubt that this massive military buildup will lead to the reinforcement of armed forces to complete preparations for an aggressive war."

The KCNA also criticized that Japan introduced U.S.-made Tomahawk missiles while its national debt hit a record high of 1,343 trillion yen as of the end of last year, stating, "It is self-evident that the purpose of squandering massive amounts of the people's tax money is by no means to build a 'peace state.'"

The agency added, "It is a foolish delusion to think that the sinister militaristic nature of aggression and war can be masked under the guise of 'defense' and 'self-defense.'"

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.