North Korea said Japan’s ambition for possession of nuclear weapons should be “thoroughly curbed”, state media KCNA reported on Sunday.
Japan is showing the intention to possess nuclear weapons explicitly by saying it needs to review the three non-nuclear principles, KCNA said, citing a commentary of North Korea’s foreign policy official.
Japan began making such comments actively as soon as the United States approved a request from South Korea for building a nuclear submarine, KCNA said.
In October, US President Donald Trump said he has given South Korea approval to build a nuclear-powered submarine after his visit to the Asian ally for a summit on trade deal with South Korean President Lee Jae-myung.
On Friday, Japan reaffirmed its decades-old pledge never to possess nuclear weapons after local media reported that a senior security official suggested the country should acquire them to deter potential aggressors.
The unnamed official said Japan needed nuclear weapons because of a worsening security environment but acknowledged that such a move would be politically difficult, public broadcaster NHK and other outlets reported, describing the official as being from Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s office.
At a regular press briefing in Tokyo, Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said Japan’s nuclear policy had not changed, but declined to comment on the remarks or to say whether the person would remain in the post amid calls from opposition leaders for the official to be removed.