North Korea accused Japan of trying to revive militarism after the Land of the Rising Sun adopted a record defense budget a few days ago, South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported.
"Rodong Sinmun", the most widely circulated newspaper in North Korea, noted that Japan has allocated more than 9 trillion yen (about $58 billion) for defense. According to the publication, the administration of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is seeking to revise Japan's pacifist constitution and transform its self-defense forces into regular troops.
The North Korean newspaper condemned Tokyo and accused it of laying the foundation for new militarization. The paper also criticized the joint military exercises of the Japanese Self-Defense Forces with NATO member states and the expansion of their operational scope, accusing the government of seeking to revive its past ambition to lead East Asia.
"The determination of a military budget aimed at raising the combat capabilities of the Self-Defense Forces to a higher level demonstrates the current government's ambition to become a military power at a reckless stage," the newspaper wrote.
"Rodong Sinmun" claims that this is a clear sign of Japan's plans to revive the militarism of the past.