DPRK Condemns Japan for Buying New WarshipsThe Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) has warned Japan against its decision to buy two large frigates, saying the move will spark an arms race in the Asia-pacific region and seriously disturb the overall stability there.The Japanese maritime self-defense force will reportedly buy two warships of aircraft carrier type in the period of the next arms buildup plan (2001-2005). The purchase will increase Japanese anti-submarine combat capacity and perform the function of commanding a fleet, the Korean Central News Agency said Saturday in an editorial. The planned building of such warships is aimed at render defunct Japan's peace constitution, which bans its overseas expansion, said the article, adding that the new frigates will increase its capacity to carry out military operations in any part of the world. The decision shows that Japan is turning itself into a military power and speeding up militarization for "overseas aggression," it noted. "If Japan escalates its arms buildup and its preparations for overseas aggression, it will not be able to escape deserved punishment," the editorial warned. |
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