KCNA Commentary on Japan's Moves for Acquiring Capability for Preemptive Strike

Pyongyang, October 18 (KCNA) -- Japan's military moves for a thorough transformation into a war state are inching close to a dangerous phase moment by moment.

It was made public by media recently that Aegis destroyer Chokai of the Japan Maritime "Self-Defense Force" left for the U.S. to arm itself with the U.S.-made Tomahawk long-range cruise missiles.

Japan's Aegis destroyer had already finalized preliminary preparations for the use of long-range attack weapons aboard including purchasing contracts and operational training. And it is now put on the final "straight course" for officially arm itself with the Tomahawk cruise missiles.

It was reported that eight Aegis destroyers possessed by the Maritime "Self-Defense Force" will carry such long-range missiles in the future.

As well known, Tomahawk missile with the range of 1 250-2 500 km is an ill-famed weapon the U.S. has actively used as a means of preemptive attack in various wars.

All facts suggest that Japan has launched the deployment of long-range strike means for preemptive attack with lightning speed.

It is a tendency that can never be ignored.

Japan is a war criminal state and defeated nation.

Therefore, its possession of long-range offensive means is strictly banned by international law and by its present constitution.

However, Japan has persistently resorted to the revenge-seeking moves for reinvasion.

It has long worked hard to realize the possession of long-range weapons at any cost, regarding it as its main strategic goal for realizing its ambition.

In particular, Japan retrogressively revised three security-related documents including the "national security strategy" despite strong concern at home and abroad in December 2022, casting off the deceptive cloak of "exclusive defense", and thus paved the road for openly securing long-range weapons.

After persistently stipulating the possession of the "capability of attacking enemy base" (counterstrike capability) in the retrogressively revised document, Japan set it as a de facto state policy and has worked hard to secure all kinds of long-range offensive means.

For example, Japan has already started mass-producing the ground-, submarine- and ship-launched and other homemade long-range missiles capable of launching from different positions.

Directing its main efforts to securing long-range offensive means, Japan is mulling to deploy long-range missiles in various military bases in Kyushu and accelerating their deployment in other parts of the archipelago.

Finally, Japan dispatched its Aegis destroyer to the U.S., bringing earlier the plan for purchasing Tomahawk long-range cruise missiles from 2026 to 2025. This is enough to guess the impatient calculation of Japan to complete the deployment of long-range weapons as soon as possible.

In a word, the military moves of Japan in recent years have been directed to perfecting the capability for preemptive attack.

It is self-evident that in case Japan, which has already made the political, military and legal preparations for overseas aggression, finally perfects the capability to fight a war through the massive acquisition of long-range strike means and their subsequent forward deployment, it will soon embark on the road for overseas aggression.

What is more serious is that the long-range weapons possessed by Japan have the DPRK and other regional states within their striking range.

Given that Japan which inflicted indelible pains to Asian countries in the last century is still making desperate efforts to realize the old dream about the "Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere", it is as clear as noonday where the arrow of reinvasion will fly first.

Herein lies the reason why the reckless moves of the descendants of militarism who are bringing earlier the moment of reinvasion by rounding off the capability for preemptive attack should never be overlooked. -0-

www.kcna.kp (2025.10.18.)