The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) has sharply criticized Japan's newly released 2025 defense white paper, labeling it a "war scenario for realizing its ambition for reinvasion from A to Z." The official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported Friday that Pyongyang views Tokyo's military expansion as a direct threat to regional stability.
Japan's record-high defense budget for 2025 includes plans to acquire $3.7 billion worth of advanced U.S. missiles, including medium-range air-to-air missiles and long-range cruise missiles. The KCNA report highlighted concerns about Japan's development of Type 12 surface-to-ship missiles with ranges exceeding 1,000 km, as well as potential deployment of 400 Tomahawk cruise missiles.
"This represents a fundamental shift from Japan's postwar principle of exclusive defense," stated a policy section chief from the DPRK's Institute for Japan Studies, as quoted by KCNA. Analysts note the white paper marks Japan's most significant military modernization effort since World War II, emphasizing preemptive strike capabilities and cross-domain warfare systems.
The condemnation comes as regional tensions escalate, with Japan justifying its military expansion as necessary for deterrence. However, the DPRK maintains that Tokyo's actions "seriously threaten regional peace and security" and contradict its historical claims of being a "peace state."
