North Korea criticized today (the 31st) that the expansion of U.S. Forces Japan (USFJ) command personnel to enhance rapid response capabilities "shows that it is transforming into a full-fledged 'war command'."

In a commentary released today, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) stated, "The sinister intention is to use Japan's 'Self-Defense Forces' as a shock brigade and primary combat force for an all-out war in the Asia-Pacific region in the event of a contingency."

USFJ Commander Lt. Gen. Stephen Jost revealed in an interview with the Japanese newspaper Asahi Shimbun published on the 26th that USFJ command personnel were increased by 215 compared to last year as part of measures to strengthen the command's functions.

The KCNA claimed, "Given that USFJ is the core reinforcing force that the United States would deploy to South Korea first in the event of a contingency on the Korean Peninsula, it is an undeniable fact that the primary target of this 'war command' is none other than our Republic."

It also stated, "As the enemies themselves have admitted, physical conflict in the region of the Korean Peninsula today is clearly defined not as a question of possibility regarding whether it will happen or not, but as a matter of time regarding when it will happen."

This is interpreted as targeting Commander Jost's remark in the same interview that "in this region, we must prepare based on the premise not of whether a crisis will occur, but when it will occur."

In particular, mentioning that the South Korea-U.S. Combined Forces Command conducted the 2026 Combined Joint Logistics Exercise (CJST) from the 13th to the 16th, the agency used harsh language toward the South Korean military, calling them "South Korean puppet military thugs."

The KCNA also mentioned that the chairmen of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of South Korea, the United States, and Japan agreed to strengthen trilateral security cooperation by continuously conducting joint military drills such as "Freedom Edge," justifying its nuclear armament by stating, "America's desperate military adventurist acts compel us once again to reach an irreversible and final conclusion that we must further devote ourselves to the uninterrupted development and evolution of our self-defensive nuclear war deterrent."

(Photo: Yonhap News)