Seoul, South Korea – North Korea condemned Japan’s latest annual diplomatic report that described the nuclear-armed state as a threat, calling it “a grave provocation.”
An official from North Korea’s foreign ministry said in a statement published by state media KCNA on Wednesday that the Japanese 2026 Diplomatic Bluebook’s description of North Korea’s nuclear capabilities amounted to “a grave provocation encroaching upon the sovereign rights” of the country.
Tokyo’s call for complete, verifiable and irreversible dismantlement is an “anachronistic and evasive assertion,” the official said, adding the country’s nuclear weapons programme is for self-defence.
North Korea has previously criticised what it called Japan’s ambition to possess nuclear weapons as well as Tokyo’s cooperation in developing missiles with Washington.
This month, North Korea announced it test fired multiple missiles, including missiles with cluster bombs capable of crippling infrastructure.
