Politics
17:07, 22-Aug-2017
DPRK claims Japan responsible for regional security imbalance
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The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) said Tuesday that Japan is responsible for undermining regional security due to its re-militarization and active participation in US-led military maneuvers against Pyongyang.
The state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said that in its 2017 defense white paper published on August 8, Japan's Defense Ministry described the DPRK's nuclear and missile development as a "serious threat to Japan."
US Forces Korea Commander General Vincent Brooks (R) speaks to the media during a press conference at Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek on August 22, 2017. /AFP Photo
US Forces Korea Commander General Vincent Brooks (R) speaks to the media during a press conference at Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek on August 22, 2017. /AFP Photo
"The reckless action of Japan as a shock brigade of the US pushing the situation of the Korean Peninsula to the worst crisis clearly reveals its sinister militarist scheme," it said, citing recent joint drills between Japan and the US in waters off the Korean Peninsula.
It said that after Japan's half century of conquest in the Asia-Pacific region, it is now seeking "to stage a comeback to Korea and repeat its bloody past history."
"Threats to security comes from nowhere but Japan, which is sharpening the sword of re-invasion, dreaming an old dream of realizing the 'Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere,'" KCNA added, referring to an imperial term created by Japan to advance its colonialist ambitions in the region.
Japan's Foreign Minister Taro Kono speaks at a press conference at the US State Department on August 17, 2017 in Washington, DC. /AFP Photo
Japan's Foreign Minister Taro Kono speaks at a press conference at the US State Department on August 17, 2017 in Washington, DC. /AFP Photo
Japan's new foreign minister, Taro Kono, said on Tuesday that international pressure against the DPRK must be maintained until Pyongyang clearly demonstrates that it will give up its nuclear program.
"It's not the time to discuss (the resumption of) six-party talks," Kono said, referring to international negotiations involving both the DPRK, South Korea, the US, Russia, China and Japan for the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula.
"It's time to exert pressure," he told reporters.
Source(s): AFP
,Xinhua News Agency