September 30, 2023
News

North Korea able to hit Japan with nuclear weapons, white paper warns

Tokyo defense ministry’s annual report lists DPRK as key threat, mentions counterstrike capabilities for first time

North Korea can strike Japan with nuclear-armed ballistic missiles, according to the recently released Defense of Japan 2022 White Paper, which also states that the weapons Pyongyang has tested this year pose unique challenges to Tokyo's defense networks.

The annual report released Friday also introduced an argument for “counter-strike capabilities” for the first time. The ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) proposed earlier this year that Tokyo expand counterstrike options against possible North Korean attacks.