Seoul (Reuters)-North Korea has criticized a recent agreement between Japan and the United States about Air-AR missile co-production, considering it an aggravation of regional safety risks and another example of Washington’s pressure to militarize Japan, the state media reported on Wednesday (local time).
At a time when the United States is improving its military command in Japan, the cooperation of both countries in ammunition production has clearly military and aggressive intentions aimed at the region’s countries, the North Korean state news agency KCNA said.
The comments were attributed to an unidentified deputy general director of the North Korean Ministry of Defense and did not mention specific countries.
But the authority referred to the AIM-120 air-to-Ar-AR-AR-AR-ARS System that the United States and Japan agreed to accelerate co-production during US Secretary of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to Tokyo on Sunday.
The advancement of the implementation of such a weapon used by aircraft involved in frequent military exercises in the region, which already represent a serious threat to safety, adds a “new element of strategic instability to the Asia-Picific region,” the authority said.
“Certainly, the center of gravity of the US hegemony-oriemoned military security strategy is changing and is a new warning sign for the Asia-Pacific Regional Society, including Northeast Asia countries,” the authority said.
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The deal is because “the US has been conniving and encouraged Japan’s initiatives to become a military giant since the last century,” the authority said.
In Tokyo, Hegseth and his Japanese colleague agreed to accelerate a plane to jointly produce air-to-air missiles beyond visual reach and consider the co-production of other earth-air missiles.
Hegseth emphasized the importance of Japan’s role in China’s dissuasion, including Beijing’s threat through Taiwan’s Strait, calling him a “cornerstone” of security in the region.
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This positive recognition of Japan by Hegseth contrasted his criticism of the European allies and the complaint of US President Donald Trump that Tokyo did not do enough to support the presence of US military personnel in the country.
