North Korea has lambasted Japan’s military expansion policy, asserting it’s a thinly veiled attempt to bolster military might that will only deepen Japan’s economic woes. Pyongyang argues that Tokyo’s fixation on beefing up its armed forces, despite a stagnant economy and ballooning national debt, is driven by ulterior motives.
On Thursday, the ruling party’s mouthpiece, Rodong Sinmun, reported that Japanese officials, who tout a strong economy agenda, recently unveiled what they called a responsible and proactive fiscal policy. The newspaper contends this policy is actually a smokescreen for channeling funds into military expansion. It points out that the Japanese Finance Ministry’s touted high-impact measures are thinly disguised state budget allocations to the defense sector, suggesting the entire fiscal strategy is geared towards supporting a military buildup.
The article noted that Japan’s right-wing media outlets are pushing a security-first narrative, claiming that investments in the defense industry will enhance combat readiness and drive technological progress. Pyongyang views this as a disturbing resurgence of militarism. The report highlighted Japan’s aggressive military modernization efforts, including the development of long-range precision-guided missiles, hypersonic glide vehicles, and submarine-launched missiles, as well as the acquisition of foreign-made long-range cruise missiles.
The newspaper underscored Japan’s dire economic straits, with national debt skyrocketing past 1,300 trillion JPY (about 8.1 trillion USD), an unprecedented high. It painted a grim picture of Japan’s economic landscape, citing rising corporate bankruptcies, inflation, and unemployment. In just the past month, over 800 businesses have gone under, while applications for welfare assistance have surged, indicating a sharp decline in living standards. The article slammed the Japanese government for prioritizing military expenditures over addressing these pressing economic challenges.