Seoul, Aug 4 North Korea on Monday lambasted Japan over a reported move to deploy upgraded surface-to-ship missiles in western coastal Kumamoto Prefecture near China as Tokyo continued to strengthen its defence posture.
The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) issued the criticism following a recent Japanese news report that the country's defence ministry is finalising a plan to deploy locally produced Type-12 anti-ship missiles at Camp Kengun in Kumamoto during the current fiscal year that runs through March 31.
The missile has a range of 1,000 kilometres and is capable of reaching China's coastline. The planned deployment is intended as a deterrence to China, and the ministry is also considering deploying the missiles in Okinawa Prefecture, the report said.
The KCNA claimed the deployment is intended to secure Japan's preemptive strike capabilities, aimed at realising its ambition for the imperial-era "Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere," rather than deterring any specific threat.
"Through military buildup and reorganisation, as well as schemes for force modernisation, Japan is approaching a situation where it can put an invasion war into action," the KCNA said, citing the 2022 revision of its National Security Strategy and the March launch of the Joint Operations Command.
The KCNA described Japan as "prepossessed with becoming a military power," accusing the country of racing toward a day of reinvasion by deploying long-range missiles intended for preemptive strikes.
"The day of reinvasion that Japan is now so desperately seeking will be the day it steps into an irrecoverable hell," the KCNA warned.
Earlier on August 2, North Korea lambasted recent US military drills with South Korean and Japanese forces, accusing them of being preparations for "preemptive strikes" against it, Yonhap news agency reported.
The Rodong Sinmun, the North's main newspaper, made the accusation in an article, taking issue with US-led air drills that began last month near Japan and recent air logistics drills between South Korea and the US Marines.
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