Japan's Defence White Paper Criticized

Pyongyang, August 1 (KCNA) -- Kim Sol Hwa, a researcher of the Institute for Japan
Studies of the DPRK Foreign Ministry, issued the following article "Japan's defence white
paper confusing right and wrong" on August 1:
Japan made public the "2023 Defence White Paper" on July 28.
As was expected, Japan in the white paper justified its moves for turning itself into a
military giant, clamoring about "the most severe and complicated security environment
after the Second World War" and "advent of the era of new crisis" under the pretext of
"threat from neighboring countries".
It defined Russia as "serious security anxiety" and China as "unprecedented biggest
strategic challenge" and described their joint military activities in around the Japan
archipelago as "deliberate demonstration against Japan and serious security anxiety".
It also termed the DPRK a "more grave and urgent threat to Japan's security than
before", asserting that "it is escalating the provocation reminiscent of more actual
fighting."
As to the "threats from neighboring countries" mentioned by Japan so often, it is nothing
but a smoke screen to justify its moves towards turning itself into a major military power.
This is clearly proved by the fact that Japan, in its defence white paper, doesn’t conceal
its sinister intention to fundamentally bolster up its defence capabilities, asserting that
Ukraine suffered "invasion" by Russia for the lack of deterrence, and is planning to put
spurs to the execution of its new security strategy adopted at the end of last year,
terming its "counterattack capability", to be possessed, "the key to curbing invasion".
It has been widely recognized that the U.S. and its followers are the chieftain that
cooked up various forms of confrontation alliance in the vast Asia-Pacific region and
totally destroys the regional peace and stability by continuously sending nuclear carrier
task force, nuclear strategic bombers and other strategic assets to the Korean peninsula,
the Taiwan Strait and other hotspots.
Japan playing a big role in such movement now trumpets about "threats from
neighboring countries" which nobody cares about. This is nothing but a cunning trick
peculiar to Japan to confuse right and wrong by diverting criticism from the international
community against it to others.
If Japan, zealously joining the U.S. in carrying out the aggressive and exclusive "Indo-
Pacific strategy", has no hostility towards the DPRK and other neighboring countries,

there will be no reason for it to worry with fear about the security environment of the
archipelago.
On the contrary, the modern history of Japan evidently proves who is the chief culprit
that committed thrice-cursed crimes against the Asia-Pacific countries, the crimes that
can not be washed away for generations.
It was Japan that swallowed up Korea as a colony, clamoring about "threat" from
neighboring countries in the last century. It was also Japan which made desperate efforts
to occupy the Asian continent by taking advantage of the Second World War and laid the
foundation for militarization allegedly to cope with "military threat from the Soviet Union"
during the Cold War.
Through this year's defence white paper, Japan has got pronounced in its scheme for
arms buildup, revealing again its ambition for territorial seizure. This clearly shows that
Japan, which has removed the military constraint of a war criminal state one by one,
chanting the prayers of "threat from neighboring countries" since its defeat, is rising as a
dangerous war force in the region.
The international community is strictly watching the behavior of Japan that has availed
itself of the U.S. hegemony strategy, persistently embellishing its blood-stained history of
aggression without honest repentance for its unprecedented past crimes.
Japan should be mindful that it will be not helpful to the promotion of its security but a
self-destructive option for its second defeat to seek a wild design for arms buildup on the
plea of neighboring countries without sincere apology and compensation for its past
colonial rule.
The best way for Japan's security is to settle the inglorious past and establish friendly
relations with neighboring countries.
Japan should draw a due lesson from the history of its defeat and stop at once the
dangerous gambling that is fostering great concern of the region. -0-