DPRK Condemns Japan for Attempt to Raise Status of Defense AgencyThe Democratic People's Republic of Korea condemned Japan for trying to raise the status of the Defense Agency to the level of a ministry Friday, December 1.The three ruling coalition parties in Japan agreed recently to have a meeting to discuss such issues as raising the agency to "ministry," allowing the "minister" to make regulations and decrees, and developing Japan's armed forces into a full-fledged regular army, the Korean Central News Agency said in an editorial. The editorial said this means the ambitious Japanese militarist moves to build the country into a military power have been adopted as a state policy. Japan is advancing step by step to realize its goal of full militarization. Last year Japan adopted and put into effect the law related to the updated "guidelines" which legalizes Japanese military actions abroad. These days Japan is seeking to revise the Constitution which bans war. Under article 9 of its Constitution, namely "Peace Constitution ", Japan, a war criminal state, is prohibited from having regular ground, naval and air forces and conducting collective military actions against other countries. But when the Defense Agency becomes a "ministry" and the right of collective "self-defense" is allowed, the Constitution of Japan would be invalid, the editorial pointed out. It said since militarism has been adopted as a policy, it is clear that Japan will unhesitatingly go out for overseas aggression if militarism holds sway over the country. |
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