North Korea Condemns Japan’s Alleged Nuclear Ambitions

(MENAFN) North Korea declared on Saturday that Japan’s effort to “go nuclear” must be stopped, following reports that a senior Japanese government representative suggested Tokyo requires nuclear arms. According to a news agency, the statement was issued on Sunday.

"The war criminal state Japan's attempt to go nuclear must be prevented at any cost as it will bring mankind a great disaster," read a declaration from the director of the Institute for Japan Studies within the North Korean Foreign Ministry.

This response from Pyongyang came after a news agency revealed that a source from the Japanese prime minister’s office informed reporters during an informal conversation that Tokyo “needs to possess nuclear weapons.”

The comments triggered backlash from both governing and opposition factions, who demanded the dismissal of the official involved.

On Friday, Japan reaffirmed its adherence to “maintain the so-called three non-nuclear principles, which prohibit possessing, producing or permitting the introduction of nuclear arms.”

As the sole nation to have endured atomic bombings during wartime, Tokyo emphasized it will continue advancing “realistic and practical measures to achieve a world without nuclear weapons” under the framework of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara stated at a press briefing.

Historical context underscores this stance: on August 6, 1945, the United States dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, resulting in approximately 140,000 deaths. Three days later, another bomb struck Nagasaki, killing around 70,000 people.

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