North Korea has stepped up its campaign of statements against Japan’s military buildup and its security relations with the US and South Korea, saying they threaten regional stability.
The criticisms, made in more than a dozen state media publications since early July, coincide with an unusual silence on North Korea’s own missile tests, raising questions about Pyongyang’s broader strategic message.
Why is North Korea increasingly talking about Japan?
North Korea’s statements have been directed against Japan’s acquisition of retaliatory strike capabilities, the testing of US Tomahawk cruise missiles, increasing defense spending and Tokyo's annual defense report.
Last week, Kim Yo-jong, the influential sister of leader Kim Jong-un, warned of "additional military capabilities" in response to Japan's "transformation into a military power."
On Tuesday, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) described Japan's 2026 defense report as a "re-invasion" document intended to justify the country's military expansion.
The latest sharp criticism came today when North Korea condemned the annual U.S.-South Korea military exercises, "Ulchi Freedom Shield," and said military cooperation between the U.S., Japan and South Korea was turning into a "nuclear alliance." Washington and Seoul say the exercises are defensive.
Another KCNA commentary accused Washington of pursuing a strategy that lowers the threshold for using nuclear weapons, citing U.S. commitments to expanded deterrence toward South Korea and Japan.
How has Japan's defense policy changed?
In 2022, Japan announced plans to double its defense spending to 2 percent of GDP in response to growing security threats from China, Russia, and North Korea.
A significant portion of this expansion includes spending on long-range missiles, such as the U.S. Tomahawk, which can hit targets over 1,000 kilometers away.
The government of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is expected to review Japan's national security strategy this year — a move that some analysts say is likely to lead to further increases in defense spending, including on drones and weapons production.
Is it really about Japan?
Analysts say Japan is only part of the bigger picture.
Park Won-gon, a professor at Ewha Womans University, in Seoul, said the main goal was to portray Northeast Asia as an arena of rivalry between two warring camps.
"The main goal is to create a US-South Korea-Japan versus North Korea-China-Russia framework," he explained.
He said Pyongyang wanted stronger support from Beijing and Moscow to solidify its exit from diplomatic isolation and strengthen its arguments that its nuclear arsenal was necessary.
South Korea's Unification Ministry expressed a similar position yesterday after North Korea's First Vice Foreign Minister Jang Kum-chol criticized Seoul's plans to acquire nuclear submarines and accused South Korea, the US and Japan of preparing a "second AUKUS" in Northeast Asia.
The ministry said North Korea appeared to view South Korea's submarine plans, Japan's changing security policy and trilateral military cooperation as threats to the regional balance of power, as Pyongyang increasingly moves closer to China and Russia.
Lim Il-chol, a professor of North Korean studies at Kyungnam University, said North Korea's messages increasingly reflected China's concerns about Japan's military expansion.
Why is North Korea silent on its missile tests?
The heightened rhetoric has coincided with an unusual silence on North Korea's recent missile launches, which have been condemned by South Korea, Japan and the United States.
Although North Korea conducted ballistic missile tests last week and this week, state media has yet to report any one of them, departing from the usual practice of announcing tests within a day.
Analysts believe the launches may have involved advanced versions of existing missile systems rather than new weapons, reducing their propaganda value.
Shin Jong-woo of the Korea Defense and Security Forum said the tests may have involved advanced short-range missiles developed with Russian technical assistance and possibly destined for Russia.
Kim Yong-hyun, a professor at Tonguk University, suggested that North Korea may avoid publicity if the launches are related to potential arms exports.
What does Russia have to do with it?
North Korea's deepening military cooperation with Russia has become a key factor in assessing its weapons programs.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly stated that Russia continues to use North Korean missiles against Ukraine, and has accused Pyongyang of providing Moscow with missiles, ammunition and has additionally promised soldiers for the military operation.
Analysts believe that battlefield experience and Russian assistance may have helped North Korea improve the accuracy and characteristics of some of its missile systems.
Shin said that the recent launches may have been tests of advanced variants before their deployment or exports.
What is North Korea trying to achieve?
Analysts believe that North Korea seeks to portray the region as a space divided into competing blocs — with Pyongyang, Beijing and Moscow on one side and Washington, Seoul and Tokyo on the other.
According to them, portraying cooperation between the United States, South Korea and Japan as an increasingly threatening military and nuclear alliance helps Pyongyang justify its own weapons programs, strengthen support from China and Russia and argue that its nuclear arsenal is a necessary response to the deteriorating security environment.