North Korea sharpens anti-Japan rhetoric as Russia ties grow

North Korea has stepped up its verbal attacks on Japan, issuing more than a dozen denunciations through state media since early July and hardening its rhetoric in recent days by accusing Tokyo of whipping up a “neo-militarist frenzy” and preparing for a “war of aggression”.Analysts said the latest broadsides from Kim Jong-un’s regime reflected both renewed confidence in Pyongyang as ties with Moscow deepen, and a desire to frame Asia-Pacific geopolitics as a contest between rival blocs – mirroring the Nato-Warsaw Pact stand-off at the height of the Cold War.The attacks come amid rising tensions across the region: North Korea is forging deeper security and economic ties with Russia, Beijing is increasingly at odds with Tokyo, and Japan is moving to strengthen its defence posture in response to perceived threats from the other three.North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-un (centre) watches performance tests of a weapons system on the destroyer Kang Kon at an undisclosed location last month. Photo: KCNA / KNS / AFP“Both Russia and China have problems in their relationships with Japan at the moment and North Korea is keen to participate in the criticisms of Tokyo,” said Andrei Lankov, a Russian-born professor of history and international relations at Seoul’s Kookmin University.