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North Korea slams Japan's launch of military drone offices

Published: 23 Apr. 2026, 09:01 Updated: 23 Apr. 2026, 11:11

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is seen in a footage carried by the regime-controlled Korean Central TV during his summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Beijing in China in 2025. [YONHAP]

Pyongyang on Thursday slammed Tokyo's establishment of military drone offices, warning that the move would fuel Japanese "reinvasion" ambitions.

The criticism came after Japan's Ground Self-Defense Force established two new offices earlier this month to oversee research and development, as well as the procurement and maintenance of unmanned assets, as part of efforts to boost its unmanned capabilities.

“Japan's acquisition of unmanned systems [...] would upgrade its reinvasion capability to a higher level, fueling militarists' war zeal and accelerating reinvasion," the state-controlled Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said.

The KCNA accused Japan of "working desperately to realize its reinvasion ambition" targeting neighboring countries, calling it "a grave development."

North Korea pointed to Japan's acquisition of U.S.-made Tomahawk missiles, warning that the country is picking up the pace toward carrying out overseas reinvasions.

“The international community should thoroughly monitor the military moves of the war criminal country, which is becoming more explicitly engaged in a reinvasion plot in disregard of its history of crushing defeat," the KCNA said.

Yonhap