North Korea has slammed Washington for considering working with Japan under the AUKUS defence alliance of Australia, the UK and the US.
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"It is the sinister intention of the US to make Japan ... a crew member of a confrontation ship called AUKUS," North Korean international affairs analyst Kang Jin Song said in an editorial published on Thursday by state news agency KCNA.
"The US is now intensifying its scheme to expand and strengthen military blocs in the Asia-Pacific region," the article said, weeks after US President Joe Biden said AUKUS was "exploring how Japan can join our work".
A White House statement on April 10 said "recognising Japan's strengths and its close bilateral defence partnerships with the AUKUS countries, AUKUS partners ... are considering co-operation with Japan on AUKUS pillar two advanced capability projects".
The Japanese government welcomed its possible inclusion in military projects.
However, Pyongyang said the move would increase anti-China pressure in the Asia-Pacific.
"This is mainly aimed at building double and triple infrastructure for implementing the integrated deterrence strategy against China by ultimately putting together tools designed for achieving supremacy existing in the Asia-Pacific region in a latticed way," the article said.
The AUKUS pact, signed in 2021 and considered by China as a threat to regional stability, includes the acquisition and development of nuclear-powered submarines for Australia and aims to reinforce the strategic presence of its partners in the Indo-Pacific region.
Since the end of World War II, Japan has limited its military to self-defence but has an advanced defence industry and closely co-operates with the US.
At the same time, China is expanding its influence in the waters of the South China Sea and around Taiwan, raising tensions with its neighbours.
Beijing maintains territorial disputes with many countries in the resource-rich region through which 30 per cent of the world's trade passes.
Australian Associated Press
