North Korea strongly criticized moves by Sanae Takaichi's Cabinet in Japan to push for a review of the decadeslong "three non-nuclear principles," calling it "a blatant and vicious challenge to peace."
The North's Labor Party newspaper Rodong Sinmun made the claim in an article on the 18th titled "Japan's rearmament scheme entering an indiscriminate stage." North Korea pointed out that since the launch of the Takaichi Cabinet, Japan has markedly adjusted its military and security policy by increasing defense spending, strengthening preemptive strike capabilities, and easing restrictions on arms exports.
Regarding Japan's moves, North Korea said, "This eloquently and demonstrably proves that Japan's rearmament, pursued for decades since its defeat, is rising to a grave stage," adding, "As Japanese rulers recite, this is not for the peace and security of the nation and the region, but nothing more than a vicious challenge to peace."
It then took aim at Japan for heightening regional tensions by maximizing perceived threats from neighboring countries, saying this "cannot be seen as a simple outburst of an exclusive temperament." North Korea said this is ultimately "a ploy to create a pretext for becoming a military power and to induce public support for expanding defense spending, revising the Constitution, and a military expansion overseas."
In particular, North Korea said, "Japan is evoking, as is, the past when it brainwashed its own people and drove them into a war of aggression to establish the 'Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere,'" invoking its imperialist era. It then warned, "Japan must engrave as a lesson, along with the 80th year since its defeat, that a challenge to humanity's universal orientation toward peace is reckless behavior that only hastens self-destruction."
Japan's "three non-nuclear principles" are a national basic policy established by then-Prime Minister Eisaku Sato's 1967 declaration: not possessing, not producing, and not allowing the introduction of nuclear weapons. However, during the Liberal Democratic Party leadership race, Prime Minister Takaichi said it is "a contradiction to maintain the three non-nuclear principles while gaining deterrence under the U.S. nuclear umbrella," and has stuck to the position that the "no introduction" rule should be reviewed in consideration of U.S. extended deterrence.