North Korea’s military activities pose “an even more grave and imminent threat to Japan’s security than ever before,” exacerbated by its accelerating development of hypersonic missiles, according to Tokyo’s newly released 2025 Defense White Paper.

The defense ministry’s annual report, published on Tuesday, warns that North Korea’s military development undermines the peace and security of the region and the international community, and particularly challenges the global nonproliferation regime through its pursuit of weapons of mass destruction (WMD).

“North Korea is focusing on qualitatively improving its nuclear and missile capabilities, such as diversifying its equipment systems and acquiring intelligence, surveillance