North Korea has denounced Japan for ramping up its military capabilities on the basis of “rumors” about regional threats, days after U.S. President Joe Biden welcomed Tokyo’s decision to increase defense spending in a bilateral summit.

In a statement on Sunday, Pyongyang’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs accused Japanese politicians of investing in capabilities that would enable it to carry out a “preemptive attack” against enemy bases, abandoning its defensive orientation since World War II for an offensive military strategy.

“Japan, having once plunged our country and other Asian countries in a sea of blood, is now scheming to emerge once