North Korea sharply condemned Japan for moves to expand channels for exporting and importing military equipment, such as signing a "Defense Equipment and Technology transfer Agreement" with Canada.
The Labor Party's official newspaper, the Rodong Sinmun, claimed on the 11th in an article titled "A scheme to expand military alliances aimed at completing war capability" that Japan "is expanding and strengthening its military collusion with the great powers and creating a favorable environment to realize its overseas aggression ambitions."
The paper criticized, "Acts such as concluding military agreements between countries, exchanging military equipment, materiel, and intelligence, and conducting joint military drills are only possible within military alliance relationships," adding, "Japan is in effect building military alliance relationships with key NATO members and various countries in the region." It also argued, "Japan, as a war-crime nation, is not allowed to possess armed forces," and "the very establishment of a military alliance is a 'red line' that must not be crossed."
According to announcements by Japan's Foreign Ministry and Canada's Ministry of National Defense, the two countries signed an agreement in late January in Ottawa that sets a legal framework for the transfer of defense equipment and technology, stipulating procedures for equipment and technology transfer and principles of use in the course of jointly determined projects.
However, the Rodong Sinmun made no particular mention of recent changes in Japan's political sphere. Recently, the Liberal Democratic Party led by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi secured seats exceeding the threshold for introducing a constitutional amendment bill in the general election. As Takaichi said after the election that "we will also proceed with the challenge toward constitutional revision," debate on amending the constitution is expected to move quickly.