North Korea Slams Japan’s Tomahawk Test, Calls Tokyo a “War-Hungry State”
North Korea has sharply condemned Japan after the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force successfully conducted its first test launch of a U.S.-supplied Tomahawk cruise missile from the destroyer JS Chokai in the Pacific Ocean.
Kim Yo Jong, the influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, accused Japan of revealing its “true nature” through the deployment of long-range strike capabilities, which she said could place North Korea, China and Russia within range.
Kim also criticized Japan’s evolving security strategy and its military cooperation and exercises with the United States, accusing Tokyo of attempting to revive its former military ambitions.
She further accused Washington of supporting Japan’s military expansion through weapons transfers and security cooperation.
Kim warned that North Korea would not remain passive and said Pyongyang was prepared to consider “new military options” in response to what it described as growing security risks posed by Japan.
The remarks mark another escalation in rhetoric between Pyongyang and Tokyo as Japan expands its long-range strike capabilities and strengthens military cooperation with the United States.