Why North Korea Fears Japan’s Record Defense Buildup
Jan 7
2 min read
North Korea’s fierce condemnation of Japan’s record defense budget reflects not just historical propaganda, but deep fear that a more militarily capable Japan—firmly aligned with the United States—could derail Pyongyang’s long-term ambitions on the Korean Peninsula.
North Korea on January 6 strongly condemned Japan’s record 9.04 trillion yen (US$57.7 billion) defense budget for this fiscal year, accusing Tokyo of attempting to revive its past militarism.
Rodong Sinmun, the North’s state newspaper, claimed the government of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is seeking constitutional revision to turn the Self-Defense Forces into a regular military, signaling ambitions to become a regional military power.
North Korea’s harsh reaction comes as no surprise. The Kim regime has long weaponized anti-Japanese sentiment as a core instrument of internal control and regime legitimacy.
But beyond propaganda, the Kim regime genuinely fears Japan’s growing military power, which has the potential to alter the strategic balance on the Korean Peninsula and across the broader region.
As the Kim regime pursues forced unification through a hybrid strategy—combining military pressure, political warfare, and influence operations—Japan’s continued confinement under a pacifist constitution is not merely preferable but strategically essential from Pyongyang’s perspective.
A militarily capable Japan, firmly aligned with the United States and increasingly prepared to deter both China and North Korea, would directly undermine Kim Jong Un’s long-term ambitions on the peninsula.
Kim also understands that, unlike South Korea, where political leadership can easily shift toward engagement and accommodation with Pyongyang and Beijing, Japan remains structurally anchored to its alliance with Washington—a reality the regime cannot manipulate.
As the current South Korean government continues to prioritize engagement with North Korea and China while loosening strategic alignment with the United States, Japan may increasingly emerge as the central pillar of regional deterrence and stability, a prospect Pyongyang clearly finds intolerable.
