North Korea slams 'conniving' U.S. over missile deal with Japan

North Korea criticized Japan and the United States on co-producing air-to-air missiles as aggravating regional security risks and militarizing Japan.

North Korea criticized a recent agreement by Japan and the United States on co-producing air-to-air missiles as aggravating regional security risks and another example of Washington’s push to militarize Japan, state media said on Wednesday.

At a time when the United States is upgrading its military command in Japan, the two countries’ cooperation in munitions production clearly has military and aggressive intentions aimed at countries in the region, KCNA state news agency said.

The comments were attributed to an unnamed vice general director of the North’s defense ministry and did not name specific countries.

But the official referred to the AIM-120 air-to-air missile system that the United States and Japan have agreed to accelerate co-producing during U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s visit to Tokyo on Sunday.

Advancing the deployment of such a weapon used by aircraft involved in frequent military drills in the region that already pose a grave security threat adds a “new element of strategic instability to the Asia-Pacific region,” the official said.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/north-korea-slams-conniving-us-missile-deal-japan-rcna199230

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