North Korea Slams Japan’s New Fighter Jet Plans: ‘A Dangerous Path to Militarism!’

North Korea on Monday slammed Japan’s joint next-generation fighter jet project with the United Kingdom and Italy, accusing Tokyo of attempting to resurrect its past military alliances and imperial ambitions.

In a scathing commentary published by the state-run Korean Central News Agency, Pyongyang branded Japan as “an Asian war criminal state fantasizing about reviving its former wartime alliance.” The regime claimed that Japan was “recklessly honing its blade for reinvasion in cahoots with foreign powers, driven by a feverish militarism.”

The statement lambasted Japan’s growing defense ties with its former World War II allies and NATO, which it dubbed “the world’s largest war bloc and worst confrontation group in history.” North Korea characterized these alliances as a dangerous trend aimed at laying the groundwork for future aggression.

In December 2023, Japan, the UK, and Italy inked the Global Combat Air Programme treaty to jointly develop a cutting-edge sixth-generation fighter jet. The aircraft, slated for deployment by 2035, boasts advanced supersonic capabilities and radar-evading technology. Defense analysts widely interpreted this move as Japan’s strategic play to expand its footprint in the European defense market.

Earlier this month, the project gained further traction with the establishment of a joint venture in the UK, backed by companies from all three nations. Defense ministers from the participating countries held a virtual meeting to review progress, signaling continued momentum behind the ambitious initiative.

On the same day, Rodong Sinmun, North Korea’s ruling party mouthpiece, also took aim at the trilateral project. The paper argued that Japan – once forced to renounce its right to wage war under intense international pressure – is now actively pursuing preemptive strike capabilities and advanced offensive weapons. This move, it claimed, flagrantly violates Japan’s postwar constitution and international law.

The North Korean publication further asserted that Tokyo’s pursuit of “military modernization under the guise of international research and development” is part of a broader strategy to rebuild a military bloc poised for future wars of aggression.

“If Japan, blinded by its delusions of becoming the ‘leader of the East,’ persists in clinging to obsolete alliances and military cooperation, it will ultimately seal its own fate of self-destruction,” the paper warned ominously.