Kim Yo-jong, director of the general affairs department of North Korea's Workers' Party and sister of leader Kim Jong-un, said the North would take military action in response to Japan's test-firing of long-range cruise missiles and other moves.
The Korean Central News Agency reported on the 5th that Kim released a statement titled "War Criminal State Japan's Acquisition of Preemptive Strike Capability Is a Grave Threat Destroying International Peace and Stability."
In the statement, Kim cited Japan's recent test-firing of the U.S.-made Tomahawk long-range cruise missile by the Maritime Self-Defense Force and its participation in a U.S.-led joint exercise conducted in the Philippines. She claimed that "Japan's acquisition of preemptive strike capability has entered the stage of actual action."
She went on to criticize Japan for deploying ground-to-ship guided missiles, glide bombs and missiles to the Self-Defense Forces, saying it was reorganizing its armed force system into "a preemptive-strike type and an overseas-invasion type." She also claimed that Japan's portrayal of itself as a "peace-loving nation" on the international stage had been intended to conceal its intention of becoming a military power.
Kim pointed to the United States as the force behind Japan's military buildup. She said Washington had supported the Tomahawk test-firing and was threatening the security of North Korea and other countries in the Asia-Pacific region by putting Japan and South Korea at the forefront.
Kim then warned, "We will never stand idly by watching Japan's military evolution," adding, "In accordance with the mandate given to me, I clearly state that the armed forces and military leadership of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea will set additional clear military options in response to Japan's transformation today."
The statement came shortly after Japan conducted the first test-firing of the Tomahawk cruise missile it recently introduced from the United States. According to Japan's Ministry of Defense, the Maritime Self-Defense Force's Aegis destroyer Chokai conducted the Tomahawk test-firing in the Pacific on the 28th of last month with the support of the U.S. Navy. It was the first time Japan had actually launched a Tomahawk.
The Tomahawk is a long-range precision-strike cruise missile with a range of approximately 1,600 to 2,500 kilometers. Japan plans to introduce 400 Tomahawks between 2025 and 2027 through a Foreign Military Sales (FMS) contract with the United States.
