North Korea recently lambasted Japan’s diplomatic bluebook, denouncing its mention of the North Korean nuclear issue as a delusional attempt to challenge their nuclear power status and branding it a grave provocation.
On Wednesday, a senior policy official from North Korea’s Foreign Ministry’s Japan Research Institute issued a statement to the Korean Central News Agency. The statement, titled, Japan’s Diplomatic Bluebook: A Ploy to Whitewash Its Aggressive Militarism Under the Guise of Regional Threats, laid out these assertions.
The statement declared that while Japan’s issuance of a diplomatic bluebook is irrelevant to them, it cannot turn a blind eye to their audacious attempt to question the constitutionally enshrined status as a nuclear power and their unwarranted criticism of the legitimate right to self-defense.
It further emphasized that this constitutes a severe provocation that infringes upon the sacred national sovereignty, security interests, and right to development. It blatantly exposes Japan’s deep-rooted hostility and confrontational stance towards the nation.
The statement also slammed Japan for touting a rules-based international order and rule of law in its diplomatic blue book while remaining silent on its own role as America’s premier henchman, readily employing force against other nations. North Korea accused Japan of being nothing more than a subservient vassal of the U.S.
Pyongyang highlighted Japan’s hypocrisy in condemning North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs while turning a blind eye to U.S. military actions against Venezuela and Iran.
North Korea contended that Japan’s criticism of neighboring countries’ self-defense measures is a smokescreen to conceal its own destabilizing actions that undermine regional security.
Previously, in its 2023 Diplomatic Bluebook released on April 10, Japan expressed grave concerns over North Korea’s ongoing nuclear and missile development and military cooperation between Russia and North Korea. Tokyo pledged to maintain close trilateral cooperation with South Korea and the U.S. in addressing the North Korean threat.