North Korea warns of military options over Japan build-up

Kim Yo Jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, said North Korea would set up “additional military options” in response to what she called Japan's transformation into a “war state,” according to a statement carried by KCNA on Wednesday.

The warning came as Japan expands its military posture in the Pacific, including higher defence spending, more defence pacts and missile deployments on outer islands. Japan's defence minister, Shinjiro Koizumi, said Tuesday that the military needed to be strengthened with a “sense of urgency and crisis,” while a new government assessment warned of growing threats from China, Russia and North Korea.

Kim cited Japan's recent test-firing of Tomahawk long-range cruise missiles and its May participation in US-led drills in the Philippines as evidence of what she called dangerous military moves backed by Washington. She said Tokyo was moving toward possessing a capability for preemptive attack and said North Korea would not remain passive over what she called a grave threat.

Japan's defence ministry declined to comment directly on Kim's remarks but told AFP that Japan's defence capabilities “remain bare minimum” and “are not meant to threaten other countries.” It said Japan's defence was meant to prevent wars, was limited to self-defence and stayed within its pacifist constitution and international law.

The ministry confirmed that last week's Tomahawk test was Japan's first and said Japan seeks to obtain up to 400 Tomahawks by the end of fiscal 2027.

Japan raised military expenditure by 9.7 percent to $62.2 billion in 2025, equivalent to 1.4 percent of GDP and its highest share since 1958. It has hosted US military bases since its surrender in World War II.

Japan occupied all of Korea before its 1945 surrender in World War II, after which the peninsula was divided along the 38th parallel. The colonial legacy continues to affect the foreign policies of North and South Korea.

China, a key ally of North Korea, has also expressed alarm at what it sees as “new militarism” by Japan. Relations have worsened since Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi made comments in November suggesting Chinese action to seize Taiwan could merit a reaction from Japan's military.

Beijing has long claimed Taiwan as part of its territory and has not ruled out taking it by force. Pyongyang has repeatedly described itself as an “irreversible” nuclear state since Kim Jong Un's 2019 summit with US President Donald Trump collapsed over the scope of denuclearisation and sanctions relief.