Pyongyang brands Japan's security overhaul bid to become 'war state'

N Korea-Japan

Pyongyang brands Japan's security overhaul bid to become 'war state'

SEOUL, May 23 (Yonhap) -- North Korea has stepped up its criticism of Japan's push to overhaul its key security legislation, denouncing it as "reckless militaristic acts."

Pyongyang accused Tokyo of seeking to turn itself into a "war state" in a bid to revive "the Empire of Japan" and said that it "has exploited the good will of the international community to revive militarism," according to an article published by Rodong Sinmun, the official mouthpiece of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea, on Saturday.

Pyongyang's latest criticism came as Tokyo moves to revise its three key security documents -- the National Security Strategy, National Defense Strategy and Defense Buildup Program -- within this year, a drive widely seen as a response to China's growing military presence in the region and other regional security threats.

"If Japan attempts yet another invasion, it will bring about consequences far more devastating to itself than in the past," it warned.

The latest broadside follows a similar attack earlier this month, when Pyongyang branded the move "a brazen challenge to global peace and humanity."

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi attends a joint press conference with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung following their summit talks in Andong, North Gyeongsang Province, southeastern South Korea, on May 19, 2026. (Yonhap)