North Korea on May 3, 2026, slammed Japan's ongoing efforts to revise its National Security Strategy, National Defense Strategy, and Defense Buildup Program, calling the move 'a brazen challenge to global peace and humanity.' This follows Japan's January announcement of a spring expert panel to kick off the review process, aiming for completion by year-end.
Rodong Sinmun, the Workers' Party of Korea's official newspaper, labeled Japan's revisions a 'sly scheme to realize reinvasion ambitions' amid rising global tensions. It spotlighted planned increases in defense spending, eased arms export restrictions, and military expansion as steps to revive Japan's arms industry and boost war capabilities.
The criticism coincides with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's arrival in Canberra, Australia, on May 3, as reported by Yonhap News Agency and The Korea Times.
This reaction comes after Japan's government detailed in January its plan to launch full-scale discussions via an expert panel this spring, focusing on equipment challenges, defense budget scale, and funding strategies (see earlier coverage in this series).