calendar>>November 1. 2010 Juch 99
KCNA Blasts Japan's Moves to Beef up Its Naval Force
Pyongyang, November 1 (KCNA) -- The Japan "Self-Defence Forces" have stepped up their moves to bolster up their capability in recent years.

Japan, which has already grown strong backed by huge military spending and prodded by the right-wing forces at home, is rapidly beefing up its military muscle for overseas operations of the SDF.

A particular mention should be made of the fact that the Japan Maritime SDF has openly embarked upon carrying out its strategy for "ocean attack" after discarding the veil of "coastal defense," touching off concern among the neighboring countries.

Japan was reported recently to have announced its plan to increase the number of its submarines under the pretext of coping with the growth of Chinese naval force in the East Sea and South Sea. This plan reportedly calls for increasing the number of submarines of the MSDF to 22 from the present 16 until 2015. It was reported that the plan would be included in the main defense program for 2011-2015 to be submitted in coming December.

This will naturally increase the apprehensions of the international community for the MSDF, the target of caution, and escalate the danger of arms race in waters of Asia.

Al already known, at present Japan has the second largest naval fleet and maritime patrol force in the world and its MSDF has already built combat capability as an "oceanic navy."

A U.S. military commentator, analyzing the naval force of Japan, said that the MSDF of Japan has emerged one of the most powerful naval forces in the Western Pacific. The Japanese government has never ceased its efforts to modernize its MSDF, he added.

The SDF has dramatically expanded the sphere of its overseas activities.

It expanded the sphere of the MSDF to 2 000n' mile from 1 000n' mile fixed in 1970 under the pretext of "cooperating in the UN peace-keeping operations". Japan's defense of 1 000n' mile "sea lanes" has been replaced by "the defense of 2 000n' mile sea lanes" linking with the Indian Ocean via the Strait of Malacca.

Furthermore, the Liberal Democratic Party of Japan recently decided to present a bill on special measures for the SDF overseas refueling activities to the present Diet.

The refueling activities of the MSDF in the Indian Ocean came to an end, in fact, as the special measure law expired in last January. The above-said bill calls for resuming the refueling activities in the ocean and, at the same time, including the support to the anti-piracy measure in the refueling activities. This amounts to providing more favorable conditions for putting Japan's scenario for overseas aggression into practice.

The United States is becoming more feverish in its moves for beefing up its military muscle in Northeast Asia in a bid to hold off the influence of major powers and establish the sphere of domination in Asia-Pacific.

Japan is citing "threat from China" and "threat from north Korea" as pretexts for beefing up its military muscle in order to achieve significant progress in the moves to emerge a military power and realize its ambition for reinvasion, taking advantage of the U.S. military moves.

This is a version of the theory of aggression against China and theory of aggression against the DPRK, a clear indication that Japan is frantically stepping up its moves to emerge a military giant and launch overseas expansion at the phase of their implementation.

This is the true reason why the world should be vigilant against the moves of Japan to beef up its armed forces in Northeast Asia.

The international community is called upon to pay due attention to the moves of aggressor Japan to emerge a military power.

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