PYONGYANG – North Korea on Monday strongly condemned Japan’s reported plan to deploy upgraded surface-to-ship missiles in the western coastal Kumamoto prefecture, calling it a “very dangerous move” with imperial ambitions. The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) issued a sharp commentary in response to a Kyodo News report detailing Tokyo’s intentions to position domestically produced Type-12 anti-ship missiles at Camp Kengun during the current fiscal year.
With a range of 1,000 kilometers, the Type-12 missiles are capable of reaching the Chinese coast. Japan reportedly aims to bolster the defense of its southwestern Nansei island chain. However, Pyongyang alleges that the move is not defensive but part of Japan’s ambition to restore its imperial-era “Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere.”
“Through military buildup and reorganization, as well as schemes for force modernization, Japan is approaching a situation where it can put an invasion war into action,” KCNA warned, accusing Japan of pursuing preemptive strike capabilities under the guise of deterrence.
Labeling Japan as obsessed with becoming a military power, the North Korean state media outlet cautioned that Tokyo’s path could lead to disastrous consequences. “The day of reinvasion that Japan is now so desperately seeking will be the day it steps into an irrecoverable hell,” the KCNA concluded.
