Pyongyang, March 13 (KCNA) -- Japan's moves for reviving militarism, aimed at rearmament, are leading to full-scale deployment of preemptive attack means for action.

Shortly ago, the Ministry of Defence of Japan made public that type 12 surface-to-ship guided missiles with drastically increased firing range would be deployed for action in Kumamoto City for the first time.

Not content with this, Japan is planning to deploy surface-to-surface missiles for "defending islands" in Shizuoka Prefecture within this month and long-range missiles at the bases of the "Self-Defense Forces" in Hokkaido and Miyazaki prefectures in order from 2028.

If this plan comes true, Japan will have long-range missiles targeting the neighboring countries deployed in all parts of the archipelago.

It is a dangerous military attempt.

Openly saying that the development and deployment of long-range missiles constitute the "core of the capability of attacking enemy bases", Japan is concentrating huge human and material resources on them.

The type 12 missiles, the deployment of which Japan is trying to accelerate, are the ones remodeled for years to greatly increase the firing range, which can be launched from ground, warships and fighter jets. They put the waters off surrounding areas within their striking range.

They are also rated as long-range attack weapons because they have the multi-purpose capability to attack fixed targets on the ground including harbors and airports as well as marine targets.

The same can be said of the type of missiles Japan is planning to deploy for action while claiming that they are the ones for "defending the islands."

It can be well evidenced by the anti-ship missile for "defending the islands" which was made public with the assertion that it has long-range strike capability, based on stealth and interceptor evasion technology.

This missile is expected to be similar or more in striking range, compared to the type 12 anti-ship cruise missile with the firing range of 1 000 km. It will reportedly be updated in various forms in the future.

World media and military experts say that the missile can be loaded by various launchers, such as missile destroyers, escort ships, ground mobile launchers and fighters now possessed by the "Self-Defense Forces", analyzing that its firing range is second only to the U.S. Tomahawk cruise missiles in Japan.

Is the continuous development and deployment of different long-range strike means just for the "exclusive defense" as advocated by Japan?

No, it isn't. It is a part of the efforts for winding up its war preparations for launching reinvasion.

Japan is now making desperate efforts to justify its rearmament by trumpeting about "growing threat from neighboring countries" and "deteriorating security environment". And it is constantly filling all the spheres, including the ground, sea and space, with armed forces capable of attacking the neighboring countries by spending huge military expenditure while inciting the atmosphere of praising the past wars of aggression woven with heinous crimes through visits to the Yasukuni Shrine, etc.

Japan increased the import of weapons in 2021-2025 by 76 percent more than that in 2016-2020 and most of them are long-range strike means like Tomahawk cruise missiles. This clearly shows that Japan has recently become more active in securing the "capability of attacking enemy bases".

Japan, which has bolstered up its actual war capability in a diversified way by taking part in all military exercises staged in surrounding areas, is stepping up the deployment of long-range strike means for action while being hell-bent on the development and purchase of them. This fact proves that the time of their use is nearing.

It is needless to say that the targets of the long-range strike means are the neighboring countries including the DPRK, which Japan designated as "imminent threat" and "unprecedentedly biggest strategic challenge".

If Japan continues to behave in a foolish manner in despite of the strong concern and criticism of the world people, it will get involved in the bad thing of crossing the "red line," which surely incurs the "sinking" of the archipelago.

It is a reality that the regional security environment is getting more severe due to the revival of militarism of the war criminal state keen on reinvasion without any slightest guilty conscience of the past crimes. -0-

www.kcna.kp (2026.03.13.)