North Korea is conjuring up the spectre of Japanese military imperialism, and today, via the state news agency KCNA, has accused Japan of rearmament that goes beyond a defence policy and of transforming its armed forces into a "wholly offensive and aggressive force".
This comment comes at a time when North Korea has been placing increasing emphasis on its own naval modernisation programme, commissioning two new destroyers, and claims that it is Japan, in fact, that is currently developing a system of unmanned submarines capable of carrying out anti-ship attacks using torpedoes and underwater mines, according to Reuters. Japan also declined to comment on this report when approached by the media.