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13h ago

North Korea Condemns Reported Japanese Nuclear Push, Says It 'Must Be Prevented'

The rebuke targets media reports of an unnamed adviser in the Japanese prime minister’s office urging nuclear armament.

Naval vessels from South Korea, the U.S. and Japan navies take part in a combined anti-submarine exercises at an open water off southern Jeju island, South Korea, April 4, 2023. The South Korea Defense Ministry/Handout via REUTERS
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Overview

  • KCNA quoted the North Korean foreign ministry’s Institute for Japan Studies as warning that a Japanese move to acquire nuclear weapons goes beyond a red line and would bring a great disaster.
  • Kyodo reported that an official in Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s office, speaking off the record, said Japan should possess nuclear weapons.
  • Japanese political figures, including former foreign minister Takeshi Iwaya and party leaders Yuichiro Tamaki and Tetsuo Saito, criticized the reported remark and pressed for clarification.
  • North Korean state media linked the reported Japanese comments to the U.S. decision in October authorizing South Korea to build a nuclear-powered submarine, approved by President Donald Trump.
  • The KCNA statement did not address North Korea’s own program, even as Pyongyang has vowed to maintain and expand its nuclear arsenal, echoing a September UN statement by Vice Foreign Minister Kim Son Gyong.